Victims told smile or else

Victims of a Black Country robber were made to hold hands with him and smile as he marched them at gun or knifepoint to cash machines to plunder their accounts.

Ruthless predator Terence Maxwell, who was jailed indefinitely yesterday, preyed on lone women. He ordered them to make it look like they were a couple as they withdrew the money.

Maxwell must serve at least six years. Some victims he picked in advance after seeing them at work. Others were chosen at random.

Stafford Crown Ccourt heard he approached victims in the street or while they were in their car, showed them a gun or knife and told some he was an escaped prisoner and needed money.

He made them smile and hold hands with him as they approached cashpoints, carefully selected by him out of the spying eyes of CCTV.

A Walsall shop worker suspicious about a "couple" flagged down a police car. He tried to run but was arrested. The 39-year-old, of no fixed address, but from Walsall, admitted six charges of robbery, four of kidnap and one of attempted kidnap.

Sir Andrew Watson, prosecuting, said he forced women to draw huge sums, in one case more than a £1,000, under the threat of being shot or stabbed.

Three were threatened with a gun, the other three with a knife. A fourth left a Birmingham city centre car park and Maxwell told her: "I've got a gun, I'll shoot you, do you understand?

"If you don't do what I say I'll blow your head off."

Sir Andrew said she froze but then drove off at speed, clipping a car on her way.

Less than an hour later a housing officer left her Bearwood office and Maxwell, armed with a knife, confronted her as she got into her car, saying he wanted a lift to Tipton.

Robberies took place between December 2005 and July of last year and one of the victims was held for an hour and a half. Women were kidnapped in Birmingham and West Bromwich and some were made to drive to Walsall. Maxwell got about £2,000.

By Tony Raba