Southend man jailed for five years over imitation gun robbery
Mitchell Rudkin pointed an imitation gun at a woman exiting a taxi
A man from Southend has been jailed for five years after pleading guilty to robbery and being armed with an imitation gun in May.
Mitchell Rudkin, who's 51-years-old, was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on Thursday (7th August).
Essex police say that Rudkin ran towards a woman who was exiting a taxi in Southend, before he pointed an imitation gun at her and shouted for her to "give me the money".
He then injured the woman by tackling her and grabbing her bag.
An Essex Police spokesperson said: "The taxi driver and another member of the public were able to guide armed officers to an address where Rudkin and the firearm were found.
"Upon examination, it was determined to be an imitation.
"Thanks to the quick response of our Armed Support Unit officers, Mitchell Rudkin was arrested within two hours of the robbery.
"He was remanded into police custody to appear at Southend-on-Sea Magistrates’ Court two days later on 15 May to face charges of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm."
Detective Constable Pettit said: "The swift identification and arrest was made possible because of the public-spirited men who observed Rudkin entering his home and guided us to the address, ensuring no one else was injured.
"The woman was extremely shaken by the whole incident and sustained several injuries because of this unprovoked attack.
"I’d like to thank her for seeing this case through so that Rudkin could be held accountable for his dangerous actions."