Rudi Batten has been jailed for six years after robbing McDonald’s armed with an air pistol and making off with cash and a McMuffin
Shocking footage has captured the moment an armed robber raided a McDonald’s before demanding chicken nuggets – but fled with a sausage McMuffin as it was only serving the breakfast menu.
Hungry Rudi Batten, 22, had already a raided a takeaway the night before – fleeing with some fried chicken.
The next day he went to a McDonald’s and took £50 in notes from a till before holding an imitation gun to the head of the store manager and leading him to the safe.
A red tin containing £250 in notes, two float bags containing £100 each and a bag of coins was taken.
Batten then asked for some nuggets but had to settle for a double sausage McMuffin after being told the restaurant was only serving from its breakfast menu at that time.
Batten was jailed for six years at Bristol Crown Court for the bungled raid.
Footage from the incident captures Batten as he enters the McDonalds with a fake gun and plastic JD Sport shopping bag, before demanding an employee hands over the cash.
Sentencing him, Judge William Hart said: ‘The staff were clearly terrified as anyone would be.
‘It’s the last thing people would expect in a quiet takeaway in that part of the country. A chilling aspect of that robbery is the way the gun was held.
‘It’s clear the impact this sort of offending has. There was considerable alarm in the community.’
The 7am raid came after Batten robbed takeaway Miss Millie’s in Yate, South Glos., the night before where he left with cash – and some fried chicken.
The court was shown CCTV footage of Batten, wearing an Adidas top and bottoms with white stripes, entering Miss Millie’s at around 6.20pm on February 7.
Batten held the air pistol to the manager’s head and demanded access to the safe at the Yate McDonald’s in Gloucestershire (pictured) before demanding they give him chicken nuggets
He was holding what appeared to be a black gun in his right hand, and a knife in his left.
Batten is reported to have stolen around £200 from the till before leaving the store with some chicken and returning to the residential accommodation he was living in.
At around 7am the next morning he entered McDonald’s, again holding the imitation pistol.
He is reported to have said: ‘I’m being forced into doing this. I don’t want to do this.’
Shortly before 3pm Batten handed himself into the police. By this time he had already been identified on CCTV.
A search of his accommodation found the clothes he was seen wearing, numerous coins and the imitation firearm – which was actually a.177 air pistol that was not loaded with any pellets.
Because restaurant was still serving breakfast menu, Batten was given a sausage McMuffin
Victim impact statements from members of staff at Miss Millie’s and McDonald’s were read out in court.
One said: ‘Any interaction with a customer makes me really tense, on edge and panicky.
‘There have been times when I haven’t been sleeping.
Another member of staff involved explained he had been suffering from nightmares and flashbacks and was now on medication.
A statement was also read out from Philip Boult, headteacher of The Ridge Junior School, who explained that doors were locked and all pupils were gathered in the main school building after they received a number of calls from parents.
He said: ‘We did not tell the children why we had done this as we did not want to worry them.
Batten was jailed for six years at Bristol Crown Court after admitting string of offences including two counts of robbery and two counts of having an imitation firearm with intent
‘All through this period we were receiving calls from concerned parents.’
Batten had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery, two counts of having an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and one count of possessing a knife or blade in a public place.
Speaking for the defence, Mrs Martin said the offences were carried out in order to pay back a debt and out of fear of what would happen to his family if he could not.
‘He is utterly ashamed and embarrassed,’ she said.
‘He is horrified he behaved in this way. He is deeply deeply sorry he committed these offences.
‘The lack of sophistication, the lack of any disguise are indicative of the desperation with which these offences were committed.
‘He had got himself involved in drink and drugs and with that comes the problem of paying for it.
‘He had no way of paying it back. He was really quite terrified about what would happen.’
Judge Hart also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the imitation firearm, plus the forfeiture of the stolen money.