A man who targeted three Plymouth businesses in the space of a few hours has been jailed for five years.
John Ralph, 48, of Penrose Street, Plymouth, appeared at Plymouth Crown Court on Wednesday, September 30.
He pleaded guilty to burglary, robbery, attempted robbery and two counts of possessing a bladed article in a public place.
Ralph was sentenced to five years in prison.
£600 stolen from café staff tips
The first offence happened at Pier One café on Hoe Road in the early hours of Monday, August 24.
Staff arriving to open the business found the staff tip box empty on the floor.
Police said attempts had also been made to force open the cash till, causing damage which could not be repaired.
CCTV showed Ralph entering the premises shortly after 1am and leaving a few minutes later with an estimated £600 in staff tips.
Knife produced at bookmakers
Later that morning, shortly after 9am, Ralph was captured on CCTV entering Ladbrokes on Mutley Plain.
He approached a male member of staff before producing a knife and demanding money from the till.
The employee picked up a broken chair arm to defend himself, activated the alarm and refused Ralph’s demands.
Ralph then left the premises without taking any money.
Spar shop robbed less than an hour later
Less than an hour later, Ralph targeted a Spar shop on Old Laira Road.
A member of staff had noticed him standing in a nearby phone box for around 20 minutes before he entered the shop.
Ralph selected items from the shelves and approached the checkout.
As the items were being scanned, he produced a knife and demanded that the female member of staff open the till.
Fearing for her safety, she opened it and stepped back.
Ralph then took the till drawer, which contained around £260, and left the shop.
Police were called at around 9.45am.
Arrested days later
After being identified during the investigation, Ralph was arrested on Sunday, August 30.
Detective Sergeant Paula Smith, from the Priority Crime Investigation Team, said:
“We welcome the sentence and would like to thank all the victims of these crimes for their support throughout this investigation.
“Without their commitment, we would not have seen justice being served as it has been today.
“We hope that the result brings the victims some closure from the incidents and helps them to recover from what Ralph put them through.”
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