Mother-of-three getaway driver for armed robbery gang jailed

Getaway driver mother-of-three, 29, who drove 153mph Audi in violent £25,000 security van heist is jailed for more than four years

• Shera Patrick, 29, was the getaway driver in a £25,000 armed gang bank heist 
• Afterwards, she recorded a voice note wishing that they had stolen more cash 
• Patrick used the money to go on a spending spree, splashing out £1,500 on a three-piece sofa and a 50-inch TV and £436 on items in a JD Sports store 
• Patrick and accomplice Thomas Warwick, also 29, were each jailed for four years

A mother-of-three who was the getaway driver for an armed robbery gang that targeted a security van in a £25,000 bank heist has been jailed.

Shera Patrick, 29, was behind the wheel of a 153mph Audi A3 for a raid that saw a guard coshed by two masked men as he was making cash collections at a Lloyds TSB near Manchester.

In the moments before the attack, Patrick was seen circling the area in the high performance vehicle while her accomplices watched the guard and then ambushed him.

An hour after the raid, global business management student Patrick recorded a voice note on her mobile phone wishing her gang had got more: ‘Aww I’m sh***ing myself mate but we only got f***ing 10 out of it.’

Patrick used the stolen money to go on a spending spree, splashing out £1,500 on a three-piece sofa and a 50-inch TV in cash and spending £436 on leisure items in a JD Sports store.

Police arrested her at the wheel of the Audi two days later after examining CCTV of the raid.

At Manchester Crown Court, Patrick who lives in Sale near Altrincham and accomplice Thomas Warwick, also 29, were each jailed for four years and one month after they admitted robbery. A second man William Robinson will be sentenced later.  

Mother-of-three Shera Patrick who was the getaway driver for an armed robbery gang which targeted a security van in a £25,000 bank heist

The raid took place at 1:30pm on June 22 last year after guard Jason Cook had parked his G4S van to make cash collections. 

Philip Barnes, prosecuting, said ‘The first three trips passed without incident but a black Audi A3 was then seen driving passed the bank, and the van. It could be seen from CCTV that the vehicle was being driven by a female with long blonde hair.

‘The Audi stopped in the middle of the road, and Robinson exited the front passenger seat, with a rolled up balaclava on his head whilst Warwick exited the driver’s side rear passenger seat and was seen to place a rolled up balaclava on top of his head.

‘The Audi drove off and parked up whilst Robinson and Warwick then loitered on the corner of the street for around 4-5 minutes, watching towards where the G4S van was parked and Mr Cook who was going about his deliveries.

‘The two men then got back onto the car before it went round the block and drove back past where the G4S van was parked. At this time, Mr Cook had just loaded £25,000 into an IBOX in the rear of his van, exited his vehicle, and was walking towards the Lloyds TSB.

‘At that point Robinson and Warwick both exited the Audi with their balaclavas pulled down and both sprinted along the road. As they approached Mr Cook from behind, he heard a voice commanding him to ‘drop the box.’ Before he released it, he was immediately struck on the right wrist with what he described as a black club or baton.

‘Upon being struck, the IBOX fell from Cook’s hand onto the floor. Robinson then attempted to pick the cash box up, but dropped it. Warwick then collected the cash box and they both sprinted back to the Audi.

‘As soon as he was struck Mr Cook immediately pressed his silent alarm which immediately alerted national control for G4S. Mr Cook then activated a ‘detonator’ which deactivates the box and destroys the cash, but given the time it took him to get it out of his pocket he is unsure whether this was successful as the box would have to be within a certain radius.

Patrick used the stolen money to go on a spending spree, splashing out £1,500 on a three-piece sofa and a 50-inch TV in cash and spending £436 on leisure items in a JD Sports store

At Manchester Crown Court, Patrick who lives in Sale near Altrincham and accomplice Thomas Warwick, also 29, were each jailed for four years and one month after they admitted robbery

‘Mr Cook was tended to by the branch manager before going through protocol with national control for G4S.’

Police stopped the Audi in Cheetham Hill at 4:15pm on June 24 with Patrick at the wheel. Initially she falsely gave the name of her brother’s girlfriend who had rented the Audi but later admitted her real identity. She gave no comment in interview.

Police searched the Audi and found a JD Sports receipt for £436 at the Manchester Fort Retail Park which was dated less than two hours after the robbery – with all the goods bought in cash. A typed receipt dated on the day of her arrest revealed she had bought a three-piece sofa and a 50 inch television in three £500 cash payments.

Officers also examined Patrick’s mobile phone and recovered GPRS tracking data which showed the Audi and the device were at the scene of the robbery at the time it took place. The voice note created at 2.36pm just over an hour after the robbery added: ‘I just tried to ring you then, you didn’t answer.’

Patrick, who has been in custody since her arrest, had 33 previous offences on her record, including theft, robbery, assault and fraud.

In a statement guard Mr Cook, who works for G4S, told police: ‘Nobody has the right to assault me while I am trying to earn an honest living doing a job which I have done for around 10 years.

‘This incident has left me shaken and traumatised at the thought of being further attacked. I have been in a similar situation back in 2005 where I was assaulted and held under duress. The incident has brought back memories from the 2005 incident which I have never had closure from as no offenders have been brought to justice.’

In mitigation Patrick’s counsel Peter Malone said: ‘Unfortunately, lifestyle choices and mixing with the wrong people has brought her to this court. She accepts her role and was the driver driving around and then driving away. The robbery was not the most sophisticated of robberies. The number plate had not been changed and she had not made attempts to conceal her appearance.

‘The car was rented by her brother’s partner but she was a named driver on that insurance vehicle.’

Mr Malone added: ‘She has three children who are currently in the care of her father. She suffers from anxiety and depression and her mental health has suffered throughout her time in custody. She says she has lost five stone in weight and has difficulty eating.

‘She wishes to put these matters behind her and return to her children and continue with her studies of Global Business Management. She is continuing with her education and taken maths and English exams. She has a job in custody but she wants to move on and put this behind her.

For father-of-one Warwick, defence counsel James Heyworth said: ‘He is someone who has had periods of work in the past working for his uncle in the building trade until Covid hit. He ended up out of work, money and with drug debts and he made the decision he made. He wishes to change and put an end to this offending.’

Sentencing Judge Elizabeth Nicholls said: ‘This was a short-lived episode but is of little consolation to Mr Cook who was left shocked, shaken and traumatised by what he has had to experience. Miss Patrick you went on a spending spree shortly after and there is a message expressing the disappointment of you only getting £10,000 and how each of you expected slightly more than that.

‘There was some planning but it was not extensive although there was use of a weapon to inflict the violence. There was some harm but the harm was not particularly serious physically or psychologically. This robbery was deliberately targeted for high value goods. It was not a spur of the moment offence. Miss Patrick, you played an essential role as the getaway driver and you played it expertly.’

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