A PROLIFIC and violent robber has been jailed after kidnapping and threatening to stab three men he made friends with on trains in Kent.

Ricky Randhawa, 29, of Mulberry Road, Northfleet, faced Maidstone Crown Court charged with three counts of robbery and two counts of false imprisonment following three incidents in January this year.

British Transport Police and Kent Police carried out a joint investigation which led to the arrest of Randhawa two weeks later. When questioned by police he admitted all the offences.

Judge Charles MacDonald jailed Randhawa for a minimum of three years. He will be released on parole when the Home Office rules it is safe.

After the case, BTP Robbery Squad Det Con Denis Stonestreet said Randhawa instilled fear in his victims.

He said: “In each case, the victims were forcibly held against their will under threat of being stabbed. He actively targeted the train system in and around Gravesend and scouted for potential robbery victims.

“He used a series of elaborate rouses to try and engage and befriend his victims before pouncing on them. This included asking victims to change money for him or accusing them of owing him money for drugs.

“In two of the cases he frog-marched his victims through the town centre forcing them to withdraw cash from ATMs under threat of being stabbed.”

The court was told that in the first incident on January 18, a 19-year-old student from Cambridge was befriended on a train travelling from Dartford to Gravesend after visiting his grandmother.

The victim was then followed into Gravesend town centre before being held against his will, threatened with a six-inch long knife and robbed.

He was then forced to walk to an ATM and withdraw £150 and was ordered into a taxi and driven to another cash-point and ordered to withdraw a further £150.

Det Con Garry Cook, of Kent Police, said: “The victim in this case was effectively kidnapped. The ordeal he endured was utterly terrifying. He complied purely because he was in fear of his safety and thought he would be stabbed if he did not co-operate.”

The second and third instances, which occurred within minutes of each other on Sunday, January 28, involved train passengers at Gillingham Station.

Det Sgt Stonestreet said a 19-year-old victim left the station at 7pm and was approached in nearby Duncan Road by Randhawa who struck up a conversation with him.

“Randhawa managed to pull the victim into a nearby alleyway and held a knife to his chest. He then stole his wallet and bank card and demanded to know the pin number.

“About 15 minutes later Randhawa was back at Gillingham train station and struck up a conversation with a 21-year-old passenger who was sitting alone in the same carriage. Randhawa then pulled out an eight-inch long kitchen knife and told the victim to hand over his money.

He then forced the victim to get off the train when it arrived at Gravesend and walked him to a BP Service Station in the town centre and forced him to withdraw money from the ATM.

The victim was also handed the bank card stolen from the alley-way robbery earlier that night and was told to withdraw money from that account as well.

“The victim was then forced to walk back towards the station under threat of being stabbed.”

Police said CCTV from the train station and Gravesend town centre as well as witness statements from the three victims, had been vital in the case.

DC Cook was able to identify Randhawa from the stills and upon seeing him in the Gravesend town centre on February 1, he was able to arrest him on the spot.

DS Stonestreet said: “Without the detailed evidence provided by the victims in these crimes, police would have been unable to remove this prolific and violent robber from targeting even more victims.

“Randhawa has a long and violent history and upon arrest in February was recalled to prison to serve the remainder of a seven-year jail term for aggravated burglary, robbery and false imprisonment."