Man who tried to rob G4S guard with hammer sentenced to 5 years

Matthew Missenden has been sentenced to 5 years in prison Pic: Metropolitan Police

A Sydenham man who pleaded not guilty to a cash in transit robbery in Deptford has been sentenced to five years in prison by a judge at Woolwich Crown Court.

Matthew Missenden, 56, faced one count of attempted robbery after trying to steal money from a G4S security guard on Deptford High Street.

Judge Phillip Shorrock heard how Missenden threatened the guard – who was delivering a cashbox to Asda – with a hammer.

Crown Prosecutor Paul Fairley explained to the court that when Missenden realised the box was empty, he ran. He was later found after CCTV evidence tracked the car he fled the scene in from back to his home address.

After a week-long trial, Missenden was sentenced on Wednesday afternoon.

Detective Constable David Crewe, from the Met’s Flying Squad who carried out the investigation, said: “He is a prolific offender who showed no concern for the welfare of the custodian merely carrying out his day job, or other members of the public around him, when he attempted this robbery armed with a weapon.”

Missenden was on life licence at the time of the offence, after being released from custody in 2016 having served a sentence for a series of gun-enabled robberies.

He will complete half of his sentence in custody, before being eligible to be released on licence in 2021.

There have been over 90 robberies and attempted robberies in Lewisham this year, making it the eighth biggest crime in the borough.

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