Bin bag-clad robber caught by cigarette butt DNA

David Lafferty was jailed for four years and six months for the robbery

A man covered his face with a bin bag to rob a petrol station but was identified when police found his DNA on a cigarette butt he discarded nearby.

David Lafferty was caught on CCTV smoking outside a garage before he covered his face, went inside and demanded cash from staff.

He was later traced using the cigarette butt and arrested.

Lafferty was jailed for four years and six months at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.

Nottinghamshire Police said the 43-year-old targeted the petrol station in Huthwaite Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, on 2 February 2020.

Distinctive tattoo

Officers said he had a concealed object, which staff thought was a gun.

He ordered them to fill a bag with cash but tripped as he left, spilling coins from his £400 haul all over the forecourt.

Lafferty then got up and ran towards Lammas Road, discarding his makeshift mask on to the pavement.

The black bin bag was later recovered by police, as was the cigarette butt found at the petrol station close to where CCTV showed the suspect smoking.

He was further identified as a potential suspect by a distinctive tattoo similar to one described on the hand of the masked robber.

'Incredibly scary ordeal'

He was charged with robbery after forensic experts found traces of his DNA on both the bin bag and the cigarette.

Lafferty, of HMP Ranby in Nottinghamshire, initially denied any involvement but later pleaded guilty to robbery, police said.

Det Con Adam Penn said: "Lafferty showed a complete disregard for the law when he made the decision to rob a petrol station and take cash that didn't belong to him.

"By making it seem like he had a gun in his possession throughout, he put the staff member he targeted through an incredibly scary ordeal and left them feeling that their life was in genuine danger."