TWO cash-in-transit robbers who targeted a security guard outside Tesco on Bradford’s Halifax Road have each been jailed for 27 months.

Barry Phillips and Sean Wilson got away with an empty money box but the judge sentencing them said that poor planning and execution was no excuse.

Phillips, 56, of Denby House, Baildon, and Wilson, 33, of Howden Close, Tong, Bradford, pleaded guilty to robbery on Boxing Day 2020.

Prosecutor Paul Canfield told Bradford Crown Court that the security guard was transporting cassettes of money to fill up cash machines.

He got to the superstore at 9.15am and took two full cassettes into the building.

He was carrying an empty box to his van when Wilson, who had been loitering nearby, came at him.

There was a short struggle in which he grabbed the cassette and ran off.

Phillips was acting as lookout, Mr Canfield said.

On January 7, 2021, police officers went to Phillips’ flat and found green dye from the broken-open cassette.

Both men denied the offence until the second listing of their trial when they admitted the robbery.

Phillips had 26 previous convictions for 85 offences.

Wilson had 25 previous convictions for 45 offences and a history of breaching court orders.

Ian Howard, Phillips’ barrister, said the defendants hadn’t thought the robbery through and fled with an empty cash cassette.

Phillips had been in approved schools and prison from a young age.

He had a ‘lamentable’ criminal record but he had worked tirelessly to rid himself of his addiction to Class A drugs.

He was now drug free and had not offended since the robbery. This was a notable achievement that he was determined to maintain.

Jo Shepherd, for Wilson, invited the court to impose the shortest sentence possible in the circumstances.

Recorder David Gordon said Wilson tussled with the security guard causing him to drop the cassette.

It was then broken into in Phillips’ flat, with the dye providing strong scientific evidence linking the pair to the robbery.

“What was intended was that you would steal a lot of cash, probably thousands of pounds,” the recorder stated.

Little or no physical harm was caused to the guard who had not made a victim impact statement.

The men’s previous convictions were serious aggravating factors in the case.

Wilson was under the influence of crack cocaine and alcohol at the time.

Phillips was in breach of a community order with a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement.

The recorder conceded that each had struggled with addiction and been caught in a cycle of reoffending.