This is the moment two robbers stole £1,600 from a Lloyds bank using a starter-pistol spray painted to look like a handgun.
The CCTV clip shows one of the thieves with his hood up carrying the fake gun and armfuls of cash inside the branch in Nuxley Road, Belvedere, on March 27 last year.
Charlie Ricketts, 19, and Daniel John Pierce, 20, were jailed today after admitting to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.
Inner London Crown Court heard the pair entered the Lloyd’s bank at around 4pm.
One stood watch near the door, while the other man threatened the cashier with the bogus gun and demanded he hand over cash.
In a second clip a man in a balaclava can be seen threatening a cashier with the handgun at Jennings Bookmakers, in Market Place, Bexleyheath, on April 11, 2014.
The cashier can be seen running away in fear as the robber places the gun on the counter and demands cash. But the cashier refused and both of the men fled from the bookies.
The next day both men attempted to steal perfume from a Boots store in Sevenoaks High Street, Kent, but were stopped by a security guard.
They were seen on CCTV discarding a balaclava and handgun in some bushes before police arrived to arrest them.
When the gun was found and examined police found it was a starter-pistol, used to sound the start of races, and was spray painted to conceal the original orange colour.
Both men were jailed after pleading guilty to the offences at an earlier court hearing.
Pierce, of Granville Road, Sidcup, was jailed for seven years, three months for robbery, possession of an imitation firearm and shoplifting offences.
Ricketts, of Downham Way, Bromley, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison for robbery, possession of an imitation firearm and possession of a bladed article.
Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Ellen, of the Met’s Flying Squad, said: "Thanks to the swift response of our police colleagues in Sevenoaks, coupled with the excellent work of detectives on the Flying Squad, we have been able to present an extremely strong case against Ricketts and Pierce, which left them with little other option than to plead guilty to the two robberies.
“Their activity showed signs that they were becoming increasingly bold in their offending and this sentence will ensure that two dangerous criminals will be off the streets for a considerable amount of time.”
