An armed robber has today (Friday, 17 October) been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 14- years after being found guilty on four counts of robbery including one against a travel agents in Caterham.

David Bentley, 54, formally of Court Road in Orpington, Kent was found guilty on four counts of robbery and four counts of possession of a firearm following the offence in Caterham and three other offences in the Kent and Essex area following a trail at Maidstone Crown Court in September.

Events unfolded at the Thomas Cook travel agents on Croydon Road at around 2.40pm on Monday, 8 July, 2013 when several members of staff were threatened by Bentley with what is believed to be a firearm before he left the store with over £15,000 in cash and travellers cheques.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Sean Kelly, said: "This was a terrifying experience for all those who were in the store at the time of the robbery and I hope the guilty verdict and subsequent sentence goes some way to help their recovery following the incident.

"I would like to praise the witnesses who bravely stood and gave evidence throughout the trial, this can be a daunting experience but if it wasn't for people like this we would not be able to secure convictions against dangerous individuals like Bentley.

"The media also played a significant role in this investigation. Within minutes of the offence being committed local media helped us circulate the image of the man wanted in connection with the crime to warn people to be on their look-out for him. BBC Crimewatch also assisted by featuring the case a couple of weeks later and we received some interesting intelligence on the back of this appeal.

"Following the incident detectives from East Surrey CID worked closely with the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate after intelligence suggested the offenders could be responsible for robberies in their area too. It was as a result of the Kent and Essex investigation and partnership working that we were able to bring those responsible to justice.”

A woman in her 20s who also stood trial for robbery was given a 24-month sentence suspended for two years, she was also ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work and to pay a £100 victim surcharge.