A pair of armed robbers have been jailed for more than 16 years in total after an eagle-eyed detective spotted two distinctive tattoos in CCTV footage.
The sharp-eyed investigator was able to connect Liam Newman and Damien Gilbert to two frightening armed robberies in West Sussex using only a split second of footage which shows Newman’s hand tattoos.
Newman, 31, can be seen on CCTV footage entering a convenience store with a handgun and his face covered before demanding that the shop worker empty money and cigarettes into his bag.
A pair of armed robbers have been jailed for more than 16 years in total after an eagle-eyed detective spotted two distinctive tattoos in CCTV footage
Days later Gilbert, 23, can be seen entering a betting shop with his hood up and face covered ordering the staff member to put money into his bag at gunpoint.
While reviewing the CCTV footage of the robbery, a detective from Sussex Police spotted tattoos of the numbers 19 and 85 on the hands of one of the armed robbers.
Newman, who was born in the year 1985, was identified as the culprit when he was arrested as his hand tattoos matched with the inkings in the footage.
Newman, the mastermind of the robberies in Adur and Worthing in August 2016, can be seen outside the Ladbrokes store encouraging Gilbert to rob it.
Gilbert, from the West Sussex area, only left the betting store with £70 while Newman, also from the area, left Mr G’s shop with £800 and up to 30 packs of cigarettes.
The sharp-eyed investigator was able to connect Liam Newman (left) and Damien Gilbert (right) to two frightening armed robberies in West Sussex using only a split second of footage which shows Newman’s hand tattoos
Gilbert, 23, can be seen entering a betting shop with his hood up and face covered ordering the staff member to put money into his bag at gunpoint
Detective Sergeant Jason Vickers, of Sussex Police, said: ‘Understandably at the time people in the area were very concerned about these armed robberies and we worked tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice.
‘Newman and Gilbert robbed these members of staff for what was, in the end, relatively small amounts of money or cigarettes.
‘Yet the impact this will have on these people working in these premises will last a lifetime.
‘The incidents were shocking for those involved who really did believe their lives to be in danger when they were having a gun pointed at them.
Newman was jailed for nine years at at Lewes Crown Court, East Sussex, while Gilbert was jailed for seven and a half years.
Liam Newman met his accomplice 23-year-old Damien Gilbert at the corner of Wordsworth Road and Rowlands Road