Three men have been jailed for more than 17 years for a series of robberies at bookmakers across Kent.

Jack Hennessy, 27, of Pollyfield Close, Snodland, Keith Hodgson, 32, of Holborough Road, Snodland, and Peter Taylor, 21, of no fixed address, were all sentenced on Thursday at Maidstone Crown Court.

Hennessy and Hodgson worked together in some of the crimes, also robbing a Post Office and a jewellers in Ramsgate in less than a month. They were also responsible for the car-jacking robbery of a car in a Rochester car park.

Hennessy admitted eight offences put to the court, including:

• Robbing Coral's bookmakers in Church Road, Tovil, with Hodgson on November 28. The pair entered at about 6.20pm and made off with over £900 after one of the men punched an employee and made him open the safe.

• Being involved in a robbery where a knife was held at a man's throat at Corals in Highview Drive, Chatham on December 1. They forced staff to open the till and to empty the safe before making away with £400 cash and a Samsung tablet.

• Following on from this he struck again on the same day, at Betfred in Larkfield. At 5.30pm two men entered the bookmakers and demanded money from the safe. More than £300 was stolen.

Taylor, Hennessy and Hodgson were all responsible for a Post Office robbery on December 2. Wearing masks they entered the Grafty Green post office at 11.50am, demanding money from the cashier. She was unable to open the till and the men made off with alcohol and cigarettes.

Hennessy and Hodgson then went on a stealing spree, committing four more offences including:

• Corals in Wrotham Road, Borough Green on December 2. They made away with £275 in cash.
• A violent attempted car jacking of a Seat Ibiza on December 4. A man parked in Rochester High Street was punched in the face and kicked in the head while he lay on the ground. His wallet, phone and car keys were stolen before the men made off in his car.
• Ladbrokes in Holborough Road, Snodland where they jumped on the counter and threatened to stab a member of staff on December 9 at around 7.50pm. They made off with £320 in cash.
• Attempted robbery of a jewelers in Ramsgate. Armed with a machete the men tried to bag Rolex watches but left empty handed.

The pair were arrested on December 11 after the stolen Seat was stopped in Pollyfield Close, Snodland. It was showing false number plates. The driver, Hodgson, made off from police. The passenger, Hennessy, was stopped by the patrol. Hodgson, was located nearby and arrested.

Hennessy was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for conspiracy to rob, with two years to run concurrently for possession of a bladed article, from the attempted robbery of the jewelers in Ramsgate.

Hodgson pleaded guilty to six offences. He received six years and eight months imprisonment for conspiracy to rob, with two years to run concurrently for possession of a bladed article.

Peter Taylor pleaded guilty to robberyin relation to the Grafty Green Post Office offence.

He received 40 months imprisonment, to run consecutively to the 4 and a half year sentence he is already serving.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Helen King said: "These men were responsible for a string of serious and violent offences which left some of the victims extremely shaken and, in one case, hospitalised.

"Using a combination of CCTV footage, mobile phone records and forensics we were able to link the two main offenders to their crimes. The men have all received significant custodial sentences and I hope the victims of these awful crimes feel that justice has been served," she added.