Gambling Addict on Crime Spree

Shop raids fuelled gambling, jury told

A CONVICT raided a dozen bookmakers at gunpoint while on day release from an open prison, the Old Bailey heard.

Former Bolton man Joseph Williams robbed the betting shops to get his hands on cash to feed his gambling addiction, jurors heard.

The 52-year-old allegedly went on the crime spree after being allowed out from HMP Blantyre House, in Goudhurst, Kent, to work as an £18,000-a-year lorry driver for Croydon-based firm J&M Insulation.

Williams, who was also let out at weekends for “resettlement leave” to help him prepare for life outside prison, has since been moved to mediumsecurity prison.

The court heard he frequently drained his bank account within days of receiving his monthly pay, with records showing huge cash withdrawals and card spending in betting shops.

Kate Lumsdon, prosecuting, told jurors: “'He carried a plastic bag which appeared to have something in it, and the way he held it was as if it was a gun.

“This gun was used to threaten staff in order to get them to hand over the money.”

The robberies took place between January 28 and June 30 last year in betting shops across south London and Surrey.

He is said to have been identified from CCTV footage by his haulier boss and prison staff, with phone and bank records also placing him in the vicinity of the shops at the times they were raided.

Forensic experts also confirmed that DNA from a pair of gloves dropped as the gunman fled from a branch of William Hill in Hackbridge on May 28 belonged to the inmate.

Williams, who jurors were told had been serving a “long prison sentence”, denies nine counts of robbery, three attempted robberies, and 10 counts of possessing an imitation firearm.