A teenage hoodlum was caged for 12 years today (Fr

A teenage hoodlum was caged for 12 years today (Friday) for two raids on post offices when he took terrified ‘hostages’ at gun point and demanded cash.

Although the pistol was a fake, victims were left ‘psychologically scarred’ at having the weapon held to their heads by the masked bandit.

Builder Michael Delopp, just 18 at the time, threatened to shoot them if his demands for money were not met.

Delopp, now 19, disguised his face with black tights while pulling off the double attack in the space of 90 minutes.

He and an accomplice fled empty handed from the first sub-post office, but pocketed pnds stlng 3,000 in the second robbery.

However, within an hour Delopp was arrested and the bulk of the booty seized.

Delopp and an unknown partner first attacked a Post Office and general store at [7] Seymour Road, Mitcham, Surrey, at midday on October 5, 2000.

But the raiders fled without their loot when owner Jayesh Patel immediately pressed the alarm.

Three hours later they targeted Robert Radford’s Post Office seven miles away in Hayes Street, Hayes, Kent and escaped with pnds stlg 3,025.

But Delopp was snared after ‘enthusiastic’ PC Simon Dawes decided to carry out unofficial surveillance on an address linked to the getaway car.

Police arrested him carrying pnds stlg 1,000, the starting pistol and clothes identified by witnesses.

He asked the officers: ‘Who tipped you off?’

A further pnds stlg 1,250 was found at the house in [78] Long Lane, Croydon, near where the getaway car was discovered.

Delopp tried to put the finger on a man who lived at that house and claimed he had been told to get rid of the ‘robber’s bag’ containing the gun and black tight
s as a ‘favour.

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He said he had been at his cousin’s house at the time of the robberies.

But Delopp, who lives with his widowed mother and brother, of Boswell Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, was convicted by an Old Bailey jury of robbery, attempted robbery, and two charges of possession of an imitation with intent to commit an offence.

Sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Paul Focke, QC, ordered Delopp to a detention centre.

‘People like you must be deterred from carrying out raids with weapons on sub-post offices.

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He said the defendant went on the robbery spree disguised with a stocking mask and wearing surgical gloves.

The judge said during the first incident Delopp spotted a customer – the doctor – using the photocopier.

‘Plainly you had given thought to the planning of this operation.

When you saw that doctor you went up to him and you placed the firearm to his head,’ he said.

‘He, of course, could not know exactly what you were doing with the gun – but, what is plain, is the next thing he heard was a click.

‘He believed what you had done was pull the trigger of the gun and for some reason it had jammed.

‘It must have been a most terrifying experience for him, because immediately afterwards you pointed it at the ceiling and succeeded in firing it and it discharged a blank cartridge.

‘

The judge said just an hour-and-a-half later Delopp and his colleague pulled off a successful robbery.

‘But in doing so what you did was once again use the pistol and you placed it to the head of one of the employees and then told the post master if he did not hand over the money you would kill her.

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Judge Focke said the defendant now acknowledged he had ‘terrified’ the two victims ‘but it is quite plain you paid little regard to the psychological scarring your activity that day would have on the two victims.

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The judge accepted Delopp now wanted to change his ways and had shunned the people he once mixed with.

‘You feel it was a blessing in disguise that you have been caught because it might prevent any further harm to people.

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Stephen Field, defending, said his client was both remorseful and ashamed at his actions.

He said Delopp was determined to make the best use of his time in custody, which bode well for the future.

‘As the consequence of a disjointed past he got in with quite a lot of horrible people.

‘The house in Long Lane was a den of criminals, people on the run from police, firearms and drugs.

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completely the wrong sort of people,’ said Mr Field.

‘It is almost alarming that someone so young and at any early stage in their life could walk into such serious offending.

‘Rather than, perhaps shoplifting at post offices, he goes walking in with a gun, like a gangster, trying to take people hostage to get what he wants.

‘

But he said the future was bright as Delopp was ‘motivated’ to build a brighter future rather than ‘completely waste’ his life.

ends