Former criminology student used police and forensic knowledge to commit 18 armed robberies
A former criminology student has been jailed after carrying out 18 armed robberies at a bank, supermarkets, convenience stores and supermarkets, after using his knowledge of police and forensic tactics.
Kudakwashe Chowa held shopworkers at knifepoint, and on one occasion he used a gun to threaten staff at a bank, stealing £3,500 in cash.
The 30-year-old from Erdington in Birmingham pleaded guilty to six armed robberies on retail premises across Birmingham, Solihull, Dudley and Tipton between February and October last year.
He also asked for 12 other robbery offences to be taken into consideration before sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court, where he was jailed yesterday for 15 years.
In total, he used a knife to carry out 17 of the robberies, and for the final robbery, he used a gun to rob a bank in Acocks Green.
Chowa robbed a One Stop shop in Solihull, but ran out after a staff member set off the alarm. But it didn't put him off as he went on to rob a Londis in Rubery, Spar in Cotteridge and a service station on the Alcester Road in Birmingham twice in a matter of days.
He was finally arrested in November after he robbed a Lloyds bank using a gun, which was later confirmed to be a BB gun.
Police trawled CCTV over several miles of coverage until Chowa was identified as the culprit, with footage also capturing him paying in old £50 notes and damaged notes stolen from the bank, into his own bank account.
He was then arrested at home, and police found the packaging for the BB gun and a money bag which was stolen in the robbery.
Detective Sergeant Curt Wilkins, from West Midlands Police said; “This is testament to the hard work that was carried out by officers from the Birmingham East Robbery Team. “The initial attendance, the tenacity shown during hours of CCTV work, through to his arrest, evidence gathering at the scene, interview and the subsequent file of evidence that was prepared led to this fantastic result. “Chowa had attended a university course in criminology. This would provide him with knowledge of police and forensic tactics.
"He was brazen in his approach, but his luck finally ran out. He was presented with so much evidence that he had no alternative but to plead guilty to all offences.
"These are serious offences reflected in the sentence, with many of the victims still impacted to this very day, hopefully this result provides them with some closure and an avenue for them to move forward in their lives knowing Chowa is behind bars.”