Bristol man jailed after stealing cash at knifepoint

Following the robberies, police were able to obtain CCTV of Marcus Laing returning to his home address

A man who threatened people at knifepoint and stole hundreds of pounds has been jailed for nine years.

Over six days, Marcus Laing, 43, of Rodney Road, Bristol, entered two businesses and a home with a knife and demanded he was handed money.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery and three counts of being in possession of a bladed article.

"They were terrifying ordeals for the victims and members of the public who witnessed them," police said.

Sentencing him at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Martin Picton referred to Laing as a "dangerous offender".

Passing an extended sentence of 14 years, the judge said Laing must spend nine years in prison, with an additional five years on licence.

The first incident was on 18 May, when Laing went into a convenience store on Forest Road, in Bristol.

He walked behind the counter and threatened a member of staff with a kitchen knife and demanded she open the till. He left with the cash and left the victim terrified.

He then struck again two days later, when he attended a home in Burchells Green Close, Bristol. He threatened a woman in her 30s, and again left with money.

CCTV showed Laing helping himself to cash in a bank on Fishponds Road

The final incident was on 23 May when he went into a bank on Fishponds Road.

He walked up to two of the bank tellers, threatened them with a knife and demanded they open the tills.

He escaped on an e-scooter, leaving staff and customers terrified and causing the bank to close for the rest of the day, Avon and Somerset Police said.

Officers who searched Laing after his arrest found him in possession of distinctive Scottish banknotes which he had stolen earlier that day from the bank.

'Incredibly serious'

Det Con Laurence Castle, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: "The three robberies Laing committed were over a six-day period.

"They were terrifying ordeals for the victims and members of the public who witness them.

"While, thankfully, there were no injuries caused by Laing, his use of a knife to threaten innocent members of the east Bristol community, who were otherwise going about their day, cannot be tolerated.

"The sentence handed to him reflects the incredibly serious and harmful nature of the offences."