Bingo burglar gets 4 years for armed robbery

A man who took part in a terrifying bingo hall robbery has been jailed for four years. 25 year old Craig Stephenson attempted to rob a bingo hall in Norwich on 3rd July last year. The father of one was tracked down to his home in Tottenham through traces of DNA left at the scene.

Stephenson along with his accomplice arrived at the bingo club in the morning on a motorbike. Armed with an 8 inch knife, one of the assailants ran inside and took a woman hostage. It is not known if the attacker was Stephenson or his accomplice as both men wore helmets throughout.

The assailant dragged the young woman from room to room as he searched for money and eventually ran into cleaner Lee Marrison who was told to lie on the floor. Mr. Marrison bravely chased the man out of the building, who, along with his accomplice, had to flee without getting their hands on any of the cash.

Mr. Marrison spoke to the Evening News about the attack, “I was cleaning the tables in the hall and I heard a noise and turned around and saw him with his hand around her neck and a knife in his other hand. “The poor girl was shouting 'I don't want to die.'”

Police found the 8 inch knife when searching the area and traced it to Stephenson who lives in Northumberland Park, London through DNA testing. However, as both assailants had worn helmets, initially, they could not prove whether Stephenson was the man who entered the bingo premises or if he was the getaway man.

Stephenson pleaded guilty for his involvement in the robbery and was sentenced to four years in prison for attempted robbery. It was revealed by the prosecution that the young woman who was held at knife point was still “scared and fearful” and that the incident had impacted her greatly.

There were a host of incidents last year of bingo players being attacked and robbed outside bingo halls. Sometimes, playing online bingo is simply the safest option; there are a number of online bingo sites that offer the same fun and excitement a land-based bingo hall does.

Written by Anna Richards for Bingostreet – bringing you news from the word of UK bingo.