A man dubbed the "bookie bandit" has been jailed for a total of 15 years today after robbing a series of banks and bookmakers across Kent.

Gary McMeekin, 35, of Kingswear Gardens in Strood, admitted six charges of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.

His sidekick, 31-year-old Robert Blackburn, of Copperhouse Road in Rochester, was handed four years behind bars for his role in one of the incidents.