By Eric King-
Masked men were chased out of Mecca Bingo, on Balm Road, Hunslet, after attempting a 5,000 pounds raid.
Martin Sharp, who was the get away driver of the gang was jailed for five years after Leeds Crown Court heard how he used his sister’s car to carry out the robbery on August 20 this year.
Sharp had driven the Black Suzuki up to the entrance of the premises, when two men wearing balaclavas and carrying weapons got out of the car and ran inside.
The pair forced their way into the foyer, where they ordered an unsuspecting assistant to hand over cash from the till. Customers playing bingo at the time, ran into the foyer area after hearing the disturbance.
One of the robbers ordered people to get down on the floor while the other forced open the till, but was challenged by one of the customers who threw a wooden menu board at one of the robbers, whilst another customer bravely chased the unprepared masked men out.
As Sharp drove off with his accomplice, one of the customers threw a bin at the vehicle. Nobody managed to note the registration number of the vehicle, but a bin was thrown at the vehicle as it sped away from the scene, jurors were told.
Sharp from Belle Isle, pleaded guilty to robbery and aggravated vehicle taking after he was arrested later that evening. Despite his efforts to hide his face, he was identified by police who used compiled intelligence data to conclude that he had driven his sister’s vehicle, snaring him with other bits of vital clues they gathered. Sharp, who was unable to provide a reliable allibi for his whereabouts at the time of the offense, eventually admitted being in the vehicle.
Sara Lyle, acting on behalf of Sharp told the court that “The defendant accepts that they were all in the vehicle.
“The defendant was the driver and knew that they were in possession of weapons and knew it was going to be a robbery.”
Miss Lyle said Sharp agreed to take part in the offence because he lost his job, and built up £2,000 worth of debt. Some criminals feel driven to commit offences like this when their back is against the wall, but the decision to take such a harmful and criminal route also reveals the nature of an individual. Sharp’s plan to rob the bingo was amateur and had made no allowance for direct challenge by customers who would normally be afraid of masked robbers with weapons.