Man is sentenced to over 10 years in jail for optician robberies in London

A man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in jail after pleading guilty to robbing a series of opticians across London.

He became so confident of his method, which involved the threat of an acid attack, that he sometimes raided the same stores more than once.

Richard Royston Dyer, 50, of no fixed address, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Monday last week, where he was handed a 10-and-a-half-year tariff.

He had previously pleaded guilty to eight counts of robbery and two counts of theft between July and September this year.

In five cases, Dyer threatened staff members with a bottle which he said contained acid before stealing multiple pairs of glasses and leaving the store.

On two occasions, he sprayed staff members with the liquid, causing minor injuries.

Dyer was arrested after an officer spotted him in Peter Street, Soho on September
13, when he was tackled to the ground and found to be in possession of a bottle of
ammonia.

He was remanded in custody until trial.

The offences were concentrated around central London, although his first took place in Upper Street, Islington on July 8.

He next targeted stores in Victoria Street on August 13, Charlotte Place four days later, and Regent Street on August 26.

He admitted that on August 27 he stole multiple pairs of sunglasses from a shop in King’s Road, and that two days later, he stole multiple pairs of sunglasses from an opticians in Victoria Street which he has previously raided on August 13.

He admitted carrying out yet another robbery at the same store the very next day, and on September 3 returned to the opticians in King’s Road to carry out another robbery.

There were further robberies in Victoria Street on September 5 and Regent Street on September 12.