TWO lawless brothers have been jailed for a total of more 13 years after carrying out armed robberies in Suffolk.

TWO lawless brothers who carried out robberies at knifepoint in Suffolk have been jailed for a combined total of more than 13 years.

Adam and Michael Bloy raided the Lavenham Co-op armed with knives and stole cash on August 9.

Four days later, on the evening of Friday, August 13, they held up the McDonald’s restaurant in Northern Road, Sudbury.

Following a media appeal the brothers were arrested in Sudbury on August 14 and charged.

Adam Bloy, 24, of King’s Lynn, and Michael Bloy, 26, of Gayton, near King’s Lynn, pleaded guilty to both robberies and were yesterday each jailed for six years and eight months.

Before passing sentence at Ipswich Crown Court, Judge Rupert Overbury was also asked to take into consideration one count of theft by Michael Bloy and nine dishonesty offences by Adam Bloy.

On October 29 the Bloys admitted the McDonald’s raid but denied robbing Lavenham Co-op until they confessed on November 1 before facing trial.

Prosecutor Richard Potts told the court the brothers were seen entering both premises on CCTV before returning shortly afterwards to carry out the robberies having disguised their faces.

At Lavenham Co-op a shop supervisor was grabbed by the collar and ordered at knifepoint to hand over the �300 contents of a till.

The brothers also got away with almost �250 from the Sudbury McDonald’s after threatening an employee. They were spotted in Sudbury by an off-duty police officer the following day and, following a short chase, were found hiding in bushes and arrested.

The Bloys had committed a string of offences together during the last decade, including burglaries, thefts and robberies, it emerged.

Charles Myatt, defending Michael Bloy, said his client denied carrying a knife during the Co-op raid but admitted a knife had been used in both robberies.

He added: “The offences don’t show a high degree of pre-planning. If they had thought about it, they would have realised it’s not a good idea to enter two shops in distinctive clothing and be seen on CCTV before returning in the same clothing with some sort of covering over their heads.”

Stephen Spence, for Adam Bloy, added: “These were not the most sophisticated types of robbery. Lengthy sentences should be reserved for the most serious offences.”

Judge Overbury told the brothers their crimes were aggravated by their use of disguises and the fact that the robberies were planned, committed at night and committed together.

“You have acted as a team in the past. It is clear there must be a substantial sentence passed, having taken into account your backgrounds,” Judge Overbury told them.

The brothers were each handed jail terms of six years and eight months for both robberies. They will serve half before being released on license, less 73 days already spent in custody.

After the hearing, Detective Inspector David Giles said: “The brothers caused fear in two Suffolk communities, threatening staff in a rural shop and a popular restaurant with knives and escaping with cash.

“Those members of staff, some of whom were assaulted during the incidents, were extremely brave when faced with masked, armed intruders who had come from outside Suffolk to commit crime.”