A man who went on a robbing spree after being released from prison early has been jailed for ten years.

Liam McCaffrey, 22, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court today after pleading guilty to four offences of robbery and two of attempted robbery.

The court heard how on April 24, four days after being released from prison on licence while serving an earlier sentence for burglary, he robbed a bank in Broadway, Stratford.

Wearing a flat cap and sunglasses, McCaffrey passed a note to the cashier containing the words “gun” and “money” – and was handed £3,500 before making off.

Six days later he attempted the same thing at a building society in The Grove, Stratford, this time being thwarted when the cashier activated the bandit screen. He made off but left fingerprinters at the scene.

On May 9 and 26, McCaffrey successfully robbed two bookmakers in Islington using the same technique.

On June 2, he entered a shop in The Grove with a second man – who has not been identified – but was forced to flee when a panic alarm was activated.

McCaffrey enjoyed one more robbery success – this time in Islington – two days later, making off with £484 but was caught in the borough by a police officer that recognised him walking in the street.

When asked about his employment by police, McCaffrey replied: “I commit crime”.

Detective Constable Ricardo Vieira of the Met’s Flying Squad said: “McCaffrey went on a crime spree, abusing the trust of his early release from prison. He put innocent people in fear of violence and carried out the six crimes in the space of ten days. Thankfully, he was stopped due to the vigilance of an officer and he will now have to face the consequences of his actions.”