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WATCH: Axe wielding McDonalds robber jailed

A robber who tried to prise open a cash register at a McDonalds restaurant only to fail and then return with an axe to complete his crime has been jailed.

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An investigation was launched after a man wielding an axe assaulted a member of staff before smashing the cash till at the drive through section of the store at the Fort, Birmingham.

Detectives investigating the attack checked CCTV and found that three hours prior to the robbery 37-year-old Michael Lynch had climbed into the unstaffed drive through window and had tried to steal the cash till by hand.

Further enquiries revealed that Lynch of Walmsley Way, Northfield had been spotted loitering for hours at a nearby petrol station. The CCTV captured him driving away in a car that was traced back to Lynch.

He was arrested on March 20 and during interview denied the robbery, but the damning CCTV evidence sealed his fate.

He pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court where he was handed an indeterminate sentence

Dc Mindy Mahil, from Birmingham's Acquisitive Crime Team, said: "The overwhelming evidence against Lynch has resulted in an early guilty plea and an indeterminate sentence being passed.

"Lynch had a history of violent offences; he had total disregard for the staff at McDonalds and did not hesitate in using the axe resulting in a staff member receiving minor cuts to his head.

"He got away with a small amount of cash and at the time of the offence Lynch was living with his partner and daughter, he was also working and his life appeared settled.

"Only Lynch can explain why he committed this offence knowing the consequences of committing further offences while being on a life licence.

"His actions on the night appeared very desperate but he was also intent on committing the offence having spent over four hours near to McDonalds."

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