Terence Cole sentenced to eight years in prison (plus four on extended licence) for series of attempted business robberies

We are welcoming the sentencing of a Kensington man to eight years in prison (plus an extra four years on an extended licence) for a series of attempted business robberies in November last year.

61-year-old Terence Cole from Botanic Road was arrested on Friday 7 December 2018 following extensive enquiries into a series of incidents in November and December.

He was charged with six attempted robberies and one robbery and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today, Tuesday 22 January.

Cole was found guilty of six attempted robberies:
On Wednesday 21 November at Halifax in Allerton Road and TSB in Smithdown Place, Allerton
On Thursday 22 November at Santander in Derby Road, Huyton and William Hill in Dale Street, Liverpool
On Friday 23 November at Lloyds in Eccleston Street, Prescot
On Monday 3 December at HSBC in Oxford Street, Liverpool

Nothing was stolen in any of these incidents.

Cole was also found guilty of robbery at Royal Bank of Scotland in High Street in Prescot on Friday 23 November, in which a small amount of cash was stolen.

Detective Inspector Lisa Ryan said: “It is pleasing to see that the courts have dealt with Cole in a way which reflects the serious nature of robberies targeting any business across Merseyside.

“Although, in the vast majority of this spate of incidents, nothing was stolen, to be the member of staff who is threatened or the passer-by witnessing the crime can be extremely distressing and leave long-standing psychological scars.

“We work closely with businesses in sharing information and pursuing those who attempt to steal money and other items through their own greed and desperation. Thankfully, Cole has been removed from the streets for the foreseeable future and we will continue to take positive action to keep businesses and the public safe."

Anyone with information robbery is asked to contact 999 if a crime is in progress, or pass information via or social media desk @MerPolCC, call 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111. You can also use their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.