A prolific thief who was jailed after snatching an estate agent’s takings as he tried to bank it has had his prison sentence slashed by appeal judges.

Jonjo Maloney, 30, of Illingworth Gardens, Halifax, snatched £4,100 from the counter at RBS in Commercial Street, Halifax, in January.

He then fled, jumped into a car and was driven away, only to be arrested by police several days later.

In July, he was jailed for two years at Bradford Crown Court after admitting theft.

But today, after an appeal by his lawyers at the Court of Appeal, three senior judges slashed the “excessive” sentence to 18 months.

Mr Justice Openshaw, sitting with Sir Brian Leveson and Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, said the original sentence imposed was “too high”.

The court heard Maloney went into the bank to withdraw some money from his father’s account and snatched the cash bag when it was put on the counter.

Despite a long list of previous convictions and prison stretches, his lawyers today argued that the term was too long, given it was not a planned theft.

Cutting the sentence, Mr Justice Openshaw said: “Some may have thought there might have been an element of planning, in having a getaway car outside.”

But he added: “That is not the way the case was presented by the prosecution.”

The sentence was reduced to 18 months.