Serial Samurai sword-wielding robbers captured after officer recognises voice from Leeds shop CCTV

Jeffrey Chikosha and Brandon Jarrett were today jailed for three violent armed robberies in just nine days, stealing thousands of pounds in cash, cigarettes and booze.

But the pair did not bank on a member of the Leeds District Crime Team recognising Chikosha’s voice and his gait from the clear CCTV footage taken from one of the shops.

Chikosha, age 25, of Wykebeck Mount, Osmondthorpe, received a nine-year sentence at Leeds Crown Court today, while Jarrett, age 23, of Haugh Shaw Road in Halifax, was jailed for six years and nine months.

The judge, Recorder Andrew Dallas said: “What you did was very serious, you disguised yourselves and clearly planned these robberies.

“You terrified staff and used a certain amount of violence from these terrifying weapons. Shopkeepers are extremely vulnerable and you probably saw them as easy targets.”

The pair, along with a third man who has never been identified, first targeted the Skelton Wood Post Office on White Laithe Approach in Whinmoor.

They burst into the shop at around 6.20pm on December 13, 2021, climbed over the counter and threatened the frightened staff before escaping in a waiting car with cash from the tills and cigarettes and alcohol.

They struck again two days later, targeting the Londis store, on Wetherby Road. They terrorised the lone female member of staff behind the counter and threatened her with a sword while making demands.

Jarrett, stood over her and repeatedly threatened her to open the till. Chikosha stayed behind the counter loading cigarettes into a bed sheet. They stole cash and cigarettes while the third man stood guard.

A member of the public, ordered to the floor, bravely challenged Jarrett who threatened him in return. The hero finally helped get the robbers out of the shop after he refused to lie back on the floor, and began to threaten his own violence towards them.

Finally, at 6.45pm on December 29, 2021, the gang struck at the Co-op, on Selby Road, Leeds, again masked and armed with swords.

Jarrett stood guard at the entrance wielding a sword while Chikosha and a third man took cash and emptied the shelves of cigarettes.

But Detective Constable Alan Andrews, of Leeds District Crime Team, reviewed the footage and recognised Chikosha from his walk.

Enquiries showed Jarrett and Chikosha had called a taxi from a nearby location 10 minutes after the offence. A distinctive jacket worn by Jarrett was later found, while DC Andrews’ hunch about the Chikosha’s voice was matched by a voice analyst expert to a previous taxi audio recording. Other taxi bookings also put the pair in the area.

They denied any involvement when they were interviewed about the offences, but both were subsequently charged with the three armed robberies and three counts of possession of Samurai swords.

Jarrett pleaded guilty to the charges with Chikosha convicted after a trial. The pair were previously jailed in May 2021 for stealing vehicles in Leeds using software to overcome their security systems.

They were released in November 2021 with strict night-time curfews and conditions not to associate with each other.