Disgruntled ex-Beefeater employee who raided three of the restaurants in a ‘killer clown’ mask has his sentence increased
Oliver Leggatt will serve an extra three and a half years in prison bringing his sentence up to 13 years and three months
AN ARMED robber who carried out raids in a clown mask has had his sentenced increased by top judges.
Oliver Leggatt, 22, donned a 'killer clown mask' during one of his robberies carried out as a 'chilling' vendetta against his former employer Beefeater restaurants.
Leggatt, of Paignton, Devon, was jailed for nine years and nine months at Exeter Crown Court on August 26.
But the Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC thought Leggatt deserved a far tougher jail term because he was a 'danger to the public'.
Senior judges at London's Court of Appeal agreed with him and increased Leggatt's jail term to 13 years and three months.
He must now also serve an extra three and a half years on licence following his release from prison.
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Leggatt had worked at a Beefeater restaurant in Paignton before he fell out with his employers, Lord Justice Davis told London's Appeal Court.
He took legal action against the company which was 'unsuccessful' and then 'bore a grudge'.
His first raid was on a Beefeater restaurant in Newton Abbot in Devon on May 25 2014, the court heard.
Wearing a killer clown mask and armed with a large carving knife, he told two female members of staff to open the safe in the manager's office.
When he became distracted they managed to escape and he left empty-handed.
On December 18 2014, Leggatt turned his attentions to the Paignton Beefeater branch where he had worked as a barman.
With his face covered by a hood and his hand in his pocket to make it look like he was holding a weapon, he demanded cash from a manager. He left with £4,885.
Leggatt struck again at the same restaurant on April 13 last year.
He pushed a female manager to the floor, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the office.
Leggatt pressed an object into her face, which turned out to be an air gun, and left with nearly £5,000.
Leggatt admitted two counts of robbery and one attempted robbery, as well as possession of the knife and the intimidation firearm.
He also pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud and two of dishonestly transferring money.
Leggatt had 18 previous convictions for crimes including battery and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, the court heard.
A probation officer's report said his latest crimes were motivated by his greed for money and he posed a 'high risk of re-offending'.
Paul Jarvis, for the Attorney-General, argued that Leggatt should have been labelled as dangerous and the judge should have caged him for much longer.
Paul Dentith, for Leggatt, said the judge was 'entitled' to find he was not dangerous and that the jail term was not too low.
But Lord Justice Davis said: "We have no doubt this sentence was unduly lenient."
The original sentence 'simply did not reflect the totality of the offences' and his crimes 'demanded a finding of dangerousness', he concluded.
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