Trail of clues lead to jail for Battman and robber Garland

A pair of bungling middle-aged criminals carried out a terrifying robbery of a cash-in-transit worker, but left a trail of clues which led to their arrest.

- by Nick Frame

John Battman and David Garland were both jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week for the planned knife-point robbery of the ATM worker at AK Off Licence in Beeston.

The pair made a long list of errors that proved their involvement including a receipt found for the coveralls worn during the robbery, and the use of a family member's car to escape from the shop.

Video footage was found on Battman's phone showing him scoping the shop days before and turning the camera on himself, chuckling about there being only one ATM worker. The court heard that the cash-in-transit worker attended the shop on Beeston Road on August 11 last year.