Nottingham man guilty in £5k Norwich betting shop raid trial

Christopher Passley, 50, went on trial at Norwich Crown Court having denied conspiracy to commit robbery at the Betfred bookmakers on London Street.

The jury of seven men and five women heard a total of £5,435 was taken in the knife-point raid on July 1, 2018.

Jurors were sent out at 3.56pm on Tuesday (November 15) and returned at 4.30pm - just 34 minutes later - to return a guilty verdict.

Passley, from Nottingham, has not been present during the trial and is not represented in court.

Passley, who had "voluntarily absented" himself from the trial - and who is thought to be in Jamaica - will be sentenced at a date to be fixed, along with Meriel Hayes.

Hayes, 43, formerly of Beverley Road, Norwich, has previously admitted conspiracy to rob.

The trial, which started on Monday (November 15), heard from Simon Connolly, prosecuting, that Passley had "hatched a plan" with Hayes, who worked at the bookmakers at the time, "to set it up".

The court heard Hayes had initially let the raider in to use the toilet in the betting shop at the time of the raid.

Mr Connolly said Passley, who he described as "the getaway driver" drove another man in a hired Mazda car to the betting shop where Hayes had been working at the time.

The jury heard one of the men Passley had been driving "went into the betting shop and produced a knife" before threatening staff and getting away with the cash before being driven away.

In police interview, Passley told officers he collected them as a favour for Hayes, who was a friend, but insisted he "didn't know them" and thought it had been to do with drugs.

He told officers "I didn't know anything about the robbery".

Recorder Jeremy Hyam told jurors the fact Passley had "voluntarily absented" himself from the trial "should not and must not affect your judgement".

He said their task had been to decide "on the evidence" whether or not the defendant was guilty.