“22. The Appellant pleaded guilty six months after the Plea and Directions hearing on11th March 2002 to six offences of robbery and two offences of possession of an imitation firearm. He had 11 previous convictions relating to 18 offences including two offences of robbery which were dealt with by the Inner London, Youth Court in November 1992. The remainder of his offences were primarily road traffic offences with three matters of burglary. The convictions for robbery related to snatching handbags from female victims. 23. The offences themselves were clearly extremely serious. They involved offences against travel agents. In general female travel agents were deliberately targeted. It was surmised that they would have stocks of foreign currency in their safe together with English currency and there would be no barriers or screens such as are to be found in banks and building societies. The offences were committed by the Appellant and his co-defendant purporting to be customers and making enquiries for travel brochures causing the staff to move away from their desks and therefore away from any panic button which might be on their desks. On two occasions, staff were threatened with an imitation firearm. One robbery to which the Appellant had pleaded guilty involved him telling the manageress to get up and stand away from the desk and she described being terrified and shaking and how he and his co-defendant were ‘very intimidating’ and that she would have done ‘whatever the appellant told her to do’.”