A teenage crack addict was today (Friday) sentence
A teenage crack addict was today (Friday) sentenced to six
years in a young offenders institution for a series of betting shop
raids.
Jason Brady, 19, escaped with pds stlng 2458 between
May 16 and June 20, this year.
The unemployed youth used a gun or two sticks wrapped in a bin
liner to terrorise and control shop staff.
He was arrested on June 25, this year, after one of his raid
victims, Ms Maureen Zahra, 24, recognised him walking out of a local
newsagents five days after he robbed the betting shop where she worked.
She immediately telephoned police and tracked him on foot until
officers arrived at the scene and arrested the defendant.
Brady, of no fixed address, admitted three robberies and three
charges of having an imitation gun with intent to rob.
He also admitted three similar betting shops robberies and
related firearm charges and asked Judge Heather Steel to take those
offences into consideration before sentencing.
‘The trauma to those people in the betting shops must have been
great,’ the judge said.
‘These were premeditated robberies which were successfully
repeated.
‘
The string of robberies began on May 16, this year, when Brady
escaped with a bag of cash from the William Hill betting shop in
Haverstock Street, Islington.
He went on to raid four other betting shops in Packington Street,
Islington, Charlton Place, Islington, St Peters’ Street, Islington,
and Broadway Market, South Hackney.
The judge commended Ms Zahra for her ‘public spiritedness’
which led to the defendant’s capture.
Miss Dora Belford, defending Brady, said he turned to robbery
to support a pds stlng 100-a-day crack addiction, which resulted from a
tragic family background.
His mother was 14 when he was born and his father was a heroin
addict, she said.
The mother, who now lives in Stoke Newington, often sought
refuge at women’s hostels to escape beatings from her husband.
‘He was brought up in an atmosphere of very serious
drugs,’ said Miss Belford.
‘One could have predicted at birth that he would end up at this
court.
‘
ENDS
