Man who robbed bookmakers in Market Deeping and Kettering jailed

A robber who threatened two betting shop employees with a knife and a meat cleaver has been jailed.

William John Appleyard, of no fixed address, entered S & D Bookmakers in Market Deeping at about 4pm on June 13 last year and threatened the lone employee with a knife.

He asked them to hand over cash and stole their mobile phone before fleeing the scene.

Nine days later on June 22, 35-year-old Appleyard entered the Ladbrokes bookmakers in Stamford Road, Kettering armed with a six-inch meat cleaver and threatened the manager before stealing £500 from the cash register.

He escaped on a bicycle but was later seen in a flat by a Northamptonshire Police dog handler where he again tried to run away.

After a short foot chase, he was restrained by officers.

As he was arrested, Appleyard assaulted a police officer and during a search of his bag, a quantity of cash and Class A drugs were recovered along with the meat cleaver he had used in the robbery.

At Northampton Crown Court on Friday last week (January 20), Appleyard was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison - five years for the robbery in Market Deeping and a further four years for the offence in Kettering.

He was also handed an extended licence, which means once he has served his nine-year sentence, Appleyard will remain on licence for a further five years and if he commits another offence in this time, he will be sent back to prison.

In addition to the prison sentence for the two robberies, Appleyard received a further two years and three months to run concurrently, after pleading guilty to the assault of an emergency worker and possessing a weapon

Detective constable Scott McKenzie, who led the investigation, said: “The sentence handed to William Appleyard reflects the seriousness of the offences he committed, and the physical and mental impact his crimes has had on his victims.

“Tackling serious violence is a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police and I hope this case demonstrates our determination to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice and make our communities a safer place to live and work.”