This week, Gary Robinson was apprehended by police, arrested for his role in a pokie robbery spree. Over the course of two months, he stole thousands of pounds from various poker machines in Lincolnshire. In total, he cashed in on more than £3000 from 19 pokies that he smashed open in order to access their funds. Robinson’s first burglary took place on June 24, 2013 at The Wellow Pub.
He gained entry into the venue by climbing in through a window. Once inside, he stole a cash box and money from a poker machine. His total take was £1150. He hit his second pub just four days later, when he stole £980 from a pub named Walters. The next day, he robbed The Trawl. He snuck in through a window and stole $900 from the pub’s gaming machines. He used a hammer to break open the pokies in order to steal the money.
The crime spree lasted another month. Robinson continued to steal money from local pubs and poker machines until he and his brother were apprehended by the Grimsby police in August 2013. When being interviewed by authorities, Robinson pleaded guilty to 15 other offenses at local pubs. He has been described as a ‘prolific burglar’, as he was able to steal from nearly two dozen pokie clubs over the course of two months.
Since he was forthright with his admission of guilt, Robinson received a fairly light sentence. "You broke in to a pub and took the contents from the machines. You have a long record for this type of offending,” Recorder Caroline Wigin told the offender. "But you were straight forward with the police." Wigin sentenced him to eight months in prison, and has been ordered to pay the victim’s surcharge of £100.
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