Brett Mullan, 50, from Gravesend, hid a folding cane in a plastic bag, which was used to look like a shotgun and scare the public and betting staff. The Metropolitan Police say a total of £2,780 was stolen during the robberies. Mullan was arrested after giving his real name to a rail ticket inspector when stopped on a train on his way to the second robbery on Burnt Ash Road on April 13. He was identified using CCTV footage as officers found the suspect was traveling to and from the offenses by rail. From there, police gathered video of each offense, as well as of Mullan leaving and returning to his home address. The Flying Squad investigated a linked series of armed robberies at bookies in Lee, Norwood, Sutton and Crayford between Monday 4 April and Sunday 24 April. Mullan was arrested on April 25 as he was leaving his home and later pleaded guilty to five counts of robbery and five counts of possession of an imitation firearm. Image: Pic: Met Police Image: Pic: Met Police Detective Constable Carl Stallabras, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said: “Mullan terrorized members of the public and betting staff who were going about their normal lives when he demanded cash and made threats of serious violence. These people feared for their lives . “But a simple mistake on his way to the second offense was all we needed to track him down and from there the mass of evidence we gathered left him no choice but to plead guilty.” He was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday.
