Armed Robbery

When an armed robbery investigation takes place, it can be worrying for you, your family and your friends. There will be a concern that you won’t be able to secure the income to pay your mortgage, your bills or even have enough food for your family. Your life will feel unstable, and you’ll be uncertain of what the next few months can bring.

Evidence in these cases is usually complicated and vast. The prosecution will seek to prove their case with forensic or DNA evidence, mobile phone sim card analysis, identification procedures and expert reports on any alleged weapons involved.

We’ve listed some of the typical questions that our armed robbery clients ask to provide you with some answers. We aim to give you all the support you need when involved in a crime of this nature. Please note that in some cases, a competent solicitor may even be able to get your case dismissed before it reaches court.

If you have a question, but you cannot find it on this page, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Have you been arrested or charged with armed robbery? 

If you or somebody you know has been arrested or charged in connection with Armed Robbery, it will make you feel stressed out, worried and even frightened about what the outcome will be of this investigation.

The police may have visited you at home and arrested you. They may also have obtained a search warrant from a judge or a magistrate so that they can look for evidence of your involvement in the crime.

The next step will be to take you to the police station for an interview. It’s vital to the outcome of your case that you do not attend a police interview without being accompanied by an armed robbery solicitor. Your lawyer can guide you as to what to say and what not to say so that you don’t inadvertently incriminate yourself.

If you haven’t been arrested, but the police are attempting to get you into the police station, then beware. The police may cloak the police interview in words such as ‘we need to hear your side of the story’ or ‘let’s have a chat’. They will intend to trick you into saying something that will be held against you, ideally for them to gain a conviction.

What type of actions are considered Armed Robbery?

Here are some examples of the different levels of an armed robbery that may be part of your situation:

When the sentence of a convicted defendant is issued, the length will depend upon whether the robbery was planned, the value of the property that was taken or attempted to be taken and the depth of your involvement.

What happens in an armed robbery investigation?

You’ll typically discover that you’re being investigated for armed robbery when you are arrested and charged. It’s at this time that you should look into engaging an experienced criminal solicitor to defend you. A legal professional who is competent and who has experience of this nature may be able to get your sentence reduced or in some cases, get your case dismissed before it progresses to court.

An armed robbery investigation can be lengthy, and during this time you’re likely to be kept in custody. It’s vital for you to engage an experienced armed robbery lawyer to defend you. If you don’t do this, you could receive a more significant prison sentence than necessary.

It’s likely that fingerprint evidence taken from wherever the crime took place will be used to link you to the scene. In addition to a mobile phone SIM card examination, the police will be looking at whom you have spoken to, which telephone numbers your phone has stored and whether any text messages have been sent. There will also be a mobile phone cell site analysis.

Any time a weapon is used for a robbery or is present for it, the Firearms Act 1968 is referenced, and this is then used to decide the extent of a sentence.

The seriousness of being involved in an armed robbery is that the trial can take place under indictment only, and if convicted, you may be given life imprisonment.

You may have been falsely accused of armed robbery

There are some situations where people have been wrongly accused of armed robbery. They weren’t at the scene, they don’t know the people involved and they did not take part. If this is you, it’s important that you hire a competent criminal lawyer to look into what your situation is. It could be that the police were given false information.

This is the time to contact an experienced criminal lawyer who can defend you before your case progresses further.

What should you do if you get arrested or charged with Armed Robbery?

Armed robbery can be a complicated area of law. Although it’s not compulsory for you to engage legal representation, we do advise you to do so. Keeping up with changes to the law and strategic approaches to getting your case dismissed can be difficult for those not trained in the law and practising on a full-time basis.

Every client of ours is briefed to never enter a police interview or any conversation with the police without being accompanied by a criminal solicitor. The police will try every way they can to get to the point of getting an arrest and a conviction.

It’s only professional legal experts who will be able to help you from incriminating yourself further. Advice, guidance and counselling are all valuable when you are seeking to avoid being convicted and receiving a substantial prison sentence.

Our team are highly competent and determined. They keep current with changes and review the changes that take place. You will have access to the most current information and will be provided with the best defence and advice. We support you throughout the process and ensure that you get the best possible outcome.

Hiring specialist knowledge will also give you peace of mind. Get in touch with us as soon as you can, and we will assess your case before it develops further.

Can the police search my home?

The role of the police is to secure a conviction for the crime; they may request a search warrant from a judge or a magistrate. If they obtain one, they will search your home, your vehicle and possibly your workplace in an attempt to secure further evidence to be used against you. The goal of the police is to get a conviction.

It’s likely that they will also confiscate your mobile phone and any other communication devices to search for further evidence of communication between defendants.

Could you go to prison for Armed Robbery?

As armed robbery is a very serious offence, you’re very likely to be given a prison sentence for your involvement if you are convicted.

Prison sentences can extend to life sentences and this means that a fixed term of your imprisonment will be set and then you will remain on licence and subjected to monitoring for the rest of your life.

Any small issues in the future can lead you back into prison and this you must really be careful of who you are affiliated to and how you are living your life.

What type of sentence could you get for Armed Robbery?

Depending on what you are charged with, your sentence could range from anywhere from four or five years to life imprisonment. The maximum prison sentence for armed robbery is life imprisonment.

Read more information about possible sentences for Armed Robbery offences.

What mitigating factors may be considered in sentencing?

The extent of the term of imprisonment and other penalties in cases of armed robbery will depend on your involvement, how serious the crime is and whether it was carried through or not.

Your mitigation will be crafted by your expert criminal solicitor. Mitigation for these serious offences requires an advanced level of planning and research and usually, we will for example:

• consider sentences imposed in past similar cases, to find an argument for the most lenient sentence
• consider the sentencing guidelines and find reason to persuade the judge to issue a sentence lower than the guidelines
• find facts which distinguish your case from other cases of a similar nature, where lengthy sentences were imposed
• find facts which show the lack of seriousness of the crime, or lack of long term damage to the bank itself as an important pillar of society and the faith of the public in financial institutions
• collect evidence your previous criminal history (hopefully, the lack of) and show the judge that this was a one-off and isolated incident
• find evidence of your standing in the community, your good character and nature, your good deeds, your responsibilities and information on the number of people who are likely to be affected by your absence
• there are many others points of mitigation we will consider, as each case depends on its own individual characteristics, the court itself, the nature of the judge, the type of prosecutor, the involvement of the police officer, the interest of the media, the attention of the public and so on.

Does a conviction for Armed Robbery go on your criminal record?

If you are convicted of armed robbery, your conviction will be noted on your CRB / police record. The period of the endorsement will depend on the type and the length of the sentence.

It is likely, the endorsement will be for life, as the prison sentence is more than certainly in excess of 4 years.

How Can Stuart Miller Solicitors Help?

Literally having represented thousands of clients accused of armed robbery and robbery charges, our criminal solicitors have considerable expertise in this field. We have a track record of success and we are proud to list some of our notable cases in the criminal-cases section of this website.

Regardless of your age or your level of involvement in the allegations being made, our criminal solicitors will defend you with a pro-active and relentless attitude. We will scrutinise the prosecution’s case, challenge illegally obtained evidence, contest the testimony of lying witnesses and we will gather defence evidence to present in support of your case.

Allegations may involve a street-level robbery, a smash & grab or a carefully planned armed robbery involving security cash vans; whatever the level of seriousness, you can be assured that the persons tasked with defending you will be knowledgeable and will be in the best position to make decisions likely to impact on your life and liberty.

Our criminal solicitors are always keen to challenge prosecution evidence with our own expert reports and to test the accuracy of any evidence being presented against you. To that end, we have maintained close relationships with some of the best telephony analysts, computer experts and DNA evaluation specialists. Not only will we check the prosecution’s evidence, but we will also ask the expert to come to court and give positive testimony on your behalf.

Our criminal solicitors will consider the number and calibre of other persons who may have been arrested on your case. Knowing how to respond to the potential of another person openly divulging material incriminatory to you is invaluable and the criminal defence solicitors at this firm are rehearsed with such situations and know exactly how to best preserve your interests.

What will happen when I instruct a criminal solicitor?

We often adopt a worst-case scenario position and work backwards, ensuring every weakness in the case is plugged. We will engage talented and motivated barristers or QC’s to defend you and together, we can all apply many different minds to the problem and create solutions meeting your objectives.

If you have been accused of robbery or armed robbery, early action in the case is pivotal to increasing the chances of success. In such intimidating and complicated investigations or prosecutions, you will require competent and expertise advice at every crossroads. To build your trust with us and to test our abilities, we will offer you a free consultation.

Would you like to discuss your case before instructing us?

If you’d like to have a no obligation chat with us before you instruct us to take your case, then call us today.

In addition to giving you a free consultation, we can also represent you at the police station if you’ve been arrested. We can look at securing your legal aid.

We’ve handled thousands of armed robbery cases and have deep expertise in this field. We can help you by recommending the best course of action to take to mitigate the outcome. No matter what size your case is, get in touch.

Please contact us for a face to face meeting or a telephone call. There is a WhatsApp link at the bottom of the page if that is your preference.

What makes a good armed robbery lawyer?

As with all cases that we take on, examining the evidence, police records, forensic evidence and all witness statements, including those from prosecution, are all critical parts of building a defence for you. In addition to analysing all the information that we have, it’s also essential to spend time speaking with the client.

Get in touch with us now for armed robbery legal defence help.