A prolific armed robber who targeted the Thomson travel agents in Stone’s High Street has been jailed for a series of raids on travel agencies in Staffordshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire.
Gary Gilboy, of Mentmore Crescent, Liverpool, was arrested after raiding Co-Op Travel in Hanley on 3rd September.
Gilboy had previously pleaded guilty to six armed robberies and asked for four others to be taken into consideration. He was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 12th November to nine years in prison.
The Thomson shop, in High Street, Stone, was targeted on July 5 by Gilboy, who forced two female assistants into a back room before escaping with what police described as a “large quantity” of sterling and foreign currency.
Detective Sergeant Angela Goodwin of Staffordshire Police said: “We welcome the sentencing. Together with our colleagues in Lancashire and Derbyshire we worked closely to track down this offender, arrest and charge him. Between December 2009 and September 2010 Gilboy raided several travel agents and stole thousands of pounds in cash. His actions had a great impact on innocent members of staff.”
As well as in Stone, Gilboy carried out armed robberies on travel agencies in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Leek and Stoke-on-Trent, in Buxton, Derbyshire, and Colne, Fleetwood and Nelson in Lancashire.
