Man jailed for carrying out knife point robberies

A "prolific, opportunistic and violent offender" has been jailed for four years and eight months after carrying out a number of robberies against vulnerable and young victims.

Cameron Jeffrey, 21, was arrested on 6 August after the tracking software on a stolen mobile phone led to his home near Cranbrook Road, Hawkhurst, Kent Police said.

Jeffrey pleaded guilty to multiple counts of robbery and possessing a knife in a public place, as well as a further charge of stealing a vehicle advertised for sale from an address in Cranbrook.

The 21-year-old pleaded guilty to all the charges at Maidstone Crown Court where he was sentenced on Thursday.

On 9 July, Jeffrey persuaded an elderly victim to let him take his vehicle for a test drive. It was later found abandoned after a collision.

On 4 August. Jeffrey, travelling by car with an associate, and approached three teenage boys near Cranbrook High Street, police said.

He and the other male, whose faces were disguised, threatened to harm the victims and demanded they hand over their possessions. A knife was held to one of the boy's faces.

On the same night an 18-year-old man and his girlfriend were approached as they were parked near Headcorn Road, Staplehurst.

A machete was pushed to the victim's throat and he was ordered to hand over his wallet.

The pair appeared to drive away before the victim was again confronted by one of the males who screamed that the wallet was not in the stolen bag, a police spokesperson said.

He repeatedly struck the victim's windscreen with the machete, breaking the glass.

Jeffrey was found hiding underneath a bed during a police search . Further searches led to the recovery of several of the stolen items.

Det Con Andy Julier, of Kent Police, said: "He is a prolific, opportunistic and violent offender who thinks nothing of brandishing weapons on our streets and cares even less about the long-lasting impact his cowardly actions will have had on those he targeted."

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