A robber who committed six crimes in ten days shortly after being released from jail has been sentenced to ten years in prison.

Liam McCaffrey, 22, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on Monday, November 23, after pleading guilty to four offences of robbery and two offences of attempted robbery at an earlier hearing at the same court.

On April 20 McCaffrey was released from prison on licence, where he had been serving a sentence for various offences including burglary.

Just four days after his release on April 24, McCaffrey went into a bank in Broadway, Stratford, where he robbed a cashier of £3500 after passing a demand note which contained the words “gun” and “money”.

He then went on to commit five more crimes, including three robberies in Islington and two attempted robberies in The Grove, Stratford.

The court heard how on May 9, McCaffrey went into a bookmakers in York Way, Holloway wearing a flat cap and sunglasses. Approaching the counter, he passed a demand note to the cashier saying: “I have a gun in the bag give me all the money”. He then passed a green plastic bag to the cashier saying: “put the money in the bag”. The cashier handed over £665 and McCaffrey fled.

In a similar incident on May 26, McCaffrey robbed a bookmakers in Roman Way, Holloway, making off with £180, after saying to the cashier: “Make this easy for me or you will get hurt. I will shoot the whole shop up.”

His last robbery was on a betting shop in Holloway Road on June 4 where he threatened a cashier who handed him £484 in cash.

He was finally arrested on June 9 in Caledonian Road when a Detective Sergeant spotted him walking along the road.

Whilst in custody McCaffrey, when asked if he was employed, replied, “I commit crime”.

Detective Constable Ricardo Vieira of the Met’s Flying Squad, said: “McCaffrey went on a crime spree, abusing the trust of his early release from prison. He put innocent people in fear of violence and carried out the six crimes in the space of ten days.Thankfully he was stopped due to the vigilance of an officer and he will now have the face the consequences of his actions.”