Armed Robber Nabbed After Two-Shot Spree in East London
Darren O’Shea, 45, a drifter with no fixed address, has been slammed with a 12-year prison sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court. The thug admitted to robbery and attempted robbery charges linked to two terrifying armed hold-ups.
£300 Stolen at Knife-Point in Co-op Raid
On the night of Saturday, 13 July, O’Shea stormed into a Co-op on Westhorne Avenue, E9, waving a gun and demanding cash. He managed to pinch around £300 before fleeing the scene. CCTV footage caught him in the act, and a shop worker’s family member immediately recognised the fiend.
Swift Police Action After Second Failed Robbery
Just five days later, on 18 July, O’Shea tried another stick-up at a sweetshop in Charlton, E7. This time, the quick-thinking shop assistant hit the panic button, forcing O’Shea to scarper empty-handed.
Police reviewed CCTV and linked the two crimes to O’Shea. The Met’s Flying Squad launched a manhunt and found him hiding in a nearby flat. Officers arrested him and found the same clothes worn during the robberies, plus the weapon used.
Fake Gun and Drug-Fuelled Crimes
Forensics revealed the gun was a fake – an imitation gas-powered handgun. O’Shea confessed the firearm was used to scare staff and funded his drug addiction through the robberies.
Detective Constable David Reed said: “I have no doubt the suspect would have continued committing this terrifying spate of robberies and the sentence today is a deterrent to those thinking of carrying out such violent crimes.”
O’Shea was charged on 19 August and remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on 7 January.
