Ashley Clarke was arrested six days after his CCTV footage was released by police

A Hackney man who stole £3,000 from a bank and a betting shop has been jailed for three years after he was identified through a public media appeal.

Ashley Clarke, 33, of Amhurst Road, Hackney, was arrested after information from the public helped detectives identify him.

Woolwich Crown Court heard that on November 25 last year Clarke walked into a branch of William Hill on Wilton Way, Hackney, where he threatened a cashier. He told her he had a gun and demanded cash. When she handed over the money, he left.

The following day, the court was told, he queued patiently in a Stamford Hill branch of Barclays bank before demanding money from a cashier and again telling her he had a gun.

The cashier activated a silent alarm, which Clarke noticed her do. He then said: “You’ve pressed the alarm, you’ve got one minute.”

Ashley Clarke

Clarke was arrested on April 8, six days after CCTV images released by police led to his identification through a public appeal. Clarke was sentenced last Friday after pleading guilty to two counts of robbery.

Detective Constable Mark Gladman of the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad, said: “Although Clarke was calm in his manner, he terrified cashiers and made them fear for their lives.

“I would like to thank the media and the public for their help in identifying Clarke.”