A man has been jailed for his part in a spate of armed robberies at convenience stores and betting shops in Hertfordshire and the surrounding counties.
Richard Mazzuccato of Mill End, Rickmansworth, was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, May 22.
He pleaded guilty to four counts of robbery at the same court on Thursday, August 27, and is the last of the four suspects to have been sentenced.
His co-defendants, Justin Stockbridge, 45, also of Rickmansworth and Jamie Owen, 32, of Chipperfield were sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, March 24.
Previously, Paul Evans, 27, of no fixed address pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery and was jailed for 11 years and one month.
The court heard that between Saturday, October 6, 2018 and Monday, March 18, 2019, a linked series of robberies took place in London, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Surrey.
The method for all the crimes was similar, with masked robbers armed with weapons including knives and axes. All the attacks took place under the cover of darkness, either late at night or in the early hours of the morning.
Detectives from the Met’s Flying Squad began an investigation into the robberies to trace the outstanding suspects and identified Owen, Stockbridge and Mazzucatto as the main offenders.
They were identified through a range of enquiries including Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), cell site phone data analysis, forensics, and CCTV, which placed them at the crime scenes.
Evidence pointed to Mazzuccato as being involved in the latter offences.
Mazzuccato was also arrested on 4 April 2019 at his home address but denied any knowledge of the offences during his police interview.
Detective sergeant Tim Fines, from the Flying Squad, said: “I have no doubt that these suspects would have continued committing this horrific spate of robberies if they had not been identified and arrested.
“All of the robberies were terrifying ordeals for the victims – thankfully none of them suffered serious injuries during the attacks.
“These suspects were not afraid to use violence, often just for small amounts of cash. I hope the sentences handed down will act as a deterrent to those thinking of carrying out such violent crimes.
“I would like to thank our colleagues from Hertfordshire, Sussex, Surrey and Thames Valley constabularies for their contribution to this investigation and continued assistance throughout the trial.”
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