Face of ‘dangerous criminal’ jailed for city bank robbery

AXE-WIELDING ROBBER JAILED FOR 13-AND-A-HALF YEARS

THIS is the mugshot of the axe robber who stole a cash box containing £25,000 during a bank robbery in Coventry.

A judge sentenced Jonathan Copson to 13-and-a-half years in prison yesterday after he pleaded guilty to robbing a security guard while armed with an axe earlier this year.

The 36-year-old, of no fixed address, also admitted a charge of possessing an offensive weapon in connection with the robbery at the Barclays branch in Tile Hill on April 26 this year. Copson was the member of gang who carried out the “carefully planned” raid, but is the only one who has been caught and now jailed.

He has refused to give any information to police about his accomplices.

Copson was handed his sentence at Warwick Crown Court on Monday after the court heard he already had 39 convictions for 99 offences against his name.

The offences included affray, actual bodily harm, common assault, assault on a police officer, possession of bladed weapons, violent disorder and robbery. He was also on licence as part of a 72-month sentence for burglary at the time of the robbery in April. Detective Sergeant Gareth Mitchell, from West Midland Police, said: “This was a significant arrest, following a fastmoving and focused investigation. “As a result, we have removed a dangerous criminal from being able to cause further harm.”

Copson entered the bank and brandished the axe at a G4S security guard who was carrying the cash box carrying £25,000.

Copson took the cash box and returned to the getaway car along with two other men.

Police tracked the robbers and the car to an address in Coventry and CCTV from the area eventually led to Copson being identified and arrested.

None of the cash was ever recovered – with Copson spending his share of the money – and the hunt is still on for the other robbers.