A HANWELL man has been jailed for a total of ten years and eight months for two security van robberies in Acton and Harrow.

Rodney Nziza, 25, of Browning Avenue, pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court.

In the first robbery, at Sainsbury's in Rayners Lane, a guard from a private security company was making a cash drop for the ATM machine.

As he was taking a cash box from the van to the store, Nziza approached him, grabbed his arm and pulled on the box. A brief struggle ensued but Nziza managed to prise the box away before escaping.

The second robbery occurred in April last year when, again, a private security guard was making a cash drop for the ATM machine at Sainsbury's, Churchfield Road, Acton.

As he removed a cash box from the van, Nziza ran up to him, threatened him and pushed the guard in the chest. Nziza managed to grab the cash box and escaped down Alfred Road before fleeing in a car.

In both incidents, no-one was injured.

The cash boxes were forced open in an underground garage in Copley Close, Hanwell, close to Nziza's home. No cash has been recovered.

Det Con Phelim Redmond, of the Flying Squad, said: "When Nziza was faced with the forensic evidence we had managed to obtain at the scene of his crimes, coupled with other evidence, he really had no option but to plead guilty.

“I am glad another criminal of this type has been jailed for a long time."