TWO armed robbers have been jailed for carrying out a series of terrifying raids.
Tommy Ellingham, of Frogmore Avenue, Hayes, and Peter Wheeler, of White Hart Avenue, Uxbridge, took part in a two-week crime wave in London and the Thames Valley, a court was told.
In the last of the robberies, on January 16, they threatened a shopkeeper at Chaplins newsagents in Chiseldon, near Swindon, with a Walther CP88 airgun and stole £100 cash and cigarettes.
Wiltshire Police appealed for witnesses and released CCTV pictures of that hold-up. Despite their faces being partially covered by scarves, both men were identified through their distinctive clothing.
They were sentence at Swindon Crown Court on Friday, June 1.
Wheeler, 23, had admitted eight robberies and eight firearms charges at an earlier hearing, and was jailed for 15 years, five of which will be spent on licence.
Ellingham, 22, was sentenced to eight years after admitting 14 weapons and robbery offences.
DC Liz Coles, the investigating officer, said after the hearing: “These men were responsible for a two-week crime wave that not only resulted in the theft of hundreds of pounds, but also included intimidation and threats of violence against the people they were stealing from.
“Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Nevertheless, their behaviour caused great distress to their victims, some of which have been left traumatised by what happened.”
