Press release: Knife-wielding robber has jail sentence increased

A man who carried out two robberies armed with a knife has today had his jail-time extended after the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred the original sentence to the Court of Appeal for being too low.

In November 2018, Gary Boothe, 40, robbed over £3,000 from two betting shops in the Poole and Bournemouth areas.

During the first robbery he threatened the lone member of staff present with a 6 inch breadknife, climbing onto the counter and crawling towards the frightened member of staff, before taking over £700 in cash. Two days later he targeted another bookmaker, waiting until several other customers had left the premises before jumping over the counter and threatening the lone female member of staff present with the knife.

Boothe also carried out a number of thefts around the same time. He had a number of previous convictions, including for burglary and shoplifting, and was under the influence of drugs at the time.

Boothe was originally sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison, with a licence extension of 5 years, at Bournemouth Crown Court. The Court of Appeal has today increased Boothe’s sentence to a 13 year extended sentence, comprising of 8 years and six months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ extended licence.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:

“These robberies had a serious impact on the members of staff and I am pleased the Court decided to increase the prison sentence to reflect the incredibly frightening ordeal these people went through. I hope the result will bring some comfort to Boothe’s victims.”