Man who used threatening hand-written note to rob St Leonards betting shop jailed

A man who penned a threatening handwritten note to demand money from a betting shop in St Leonards has been jailed.

Kenneth Brown, 56, of Marline Road, St Leonards, walked into Coral in Battle Road on Monday 2 January and slid a note across the counter, which read “GIVE ME THE MONEY OR I’ll BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF.”

While doing so, he wrapped a jacket around his hand and forearm giving the appearance he had a firearm.

The cashier then withdrew £130 from the register and handed this over to Brown, who left the shop and attempted to cover a camera on his way out.

The note written by Brown

Brown was identified through CCTV from the betting shop and was subsequently charged with robbery.

He appeared before Lewes Crown Court on Monday 6 February and pleaded guilty to one count of robbery.

He had also pleaded guilty year at an earlier hearing to stealing an elderly woman’s purse outside Co-op in London Road, St Leonards, on Thursday 15 December last year.

Brown was sentenced to a total of four years imprisonment.

He was also ordered to pay £228 victim surcharge.

Brown attempting to cover a camera on his way out of the betting shop

Prevention Inspector Aidan Cornwall, of the Hastings and Rother Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This was a callous offence where Kenneth Brown sought to put cashiers in fear that he had a firearm in order to get them to hand over money.

“He was quickly identified and arrested by our officers and we remanded him in custody to place him before the next available court.

“We welcome this robust sentence of imprisonment to protect our community.”