Armed robber convicted following 2001 attack in Ashford

22/05/2012

A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, after being found guilty of an armed robbery near Ashford eleven years earlier.

Terence Pooke was one of a gang of at least four people who carried out an armed robbery on two guards of a Securitas van in Wye in March 2001. The pair were hijacked by the robbers and then held at gun-point, with the robbers escaping with just over £10,000 in cash and cheques.

Two other people have previously been convicted of this offence, while a third person was acquitted.

A CPS spokesperson said: "This was deeply traumatic for the two guards subjected to this robbery and the effect it has had on them cannot be overestimated. They were taken by surprise in a quiet village and were forced to drive at gun-point to a secluded location, where they were threatened repeatedly that unless they complied with the robbers demands, they would be shot. 

"They fully believed that they would die. This is why it was so important for the Crown Prosecution Service to make every effort to bring the unidentified fourth person in this robbery to justice. It also sends out a strong message that we will pursue cases if we believe there is enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction, even years after an offence has taken place."