A man from Huddersfield has been jailed for six years after he was convicted of two knifepoint robberies and an attempted robbery at travel agents.

Sentencing Ryan Handley at Leeds Crown Court today, Judge Sally Cahill QC said the crimes took his previous offending “into a different league.”

Jailing him for six years she said: “Your victims were all women carrying out their employment and vulnerable as a result.

"It must have been a terrifying experience for them. You were waving a knife around and they were afraid they or their colleagues were going to be stabbed.”

Handley, 24, of New Hey Road, Oakes, was unanimously found guilty by a jury of attempted robbery at Althams Travel Services in Yeadon, Leeds, on May 1; robbery and possession of a knife at Althams Travel in Pudsey on the same date and robbery and possession of a knife at Thomson Travel in Town Street, Horsforth, on May 6.

Conor Quinn, prosecuting, told the jury staff in the Yeadon travel agents became suspicious when they saw two men waiting near the premises, one wearing a black hooded top with a scarf over his nose and locked the door when a customer left.

Mr Quinn said: “They were lucky because moments later the man in the hooded top was at the door vigorously trying to get in.”

He then ran off when he was unsuccessful.

But about an hour later the branch in Pudsey was targeted. The robber entered with his face covered and produced a knife, threatening one member of staff telling her to give him the money.

He handed over an Asda carrier bag telling her to empty the safe. She handed him a box of cash and threw the bag back at him which he left on the floor when he went out, stuffing cash into the pockets of his hooded top.

That bag was later found to have two of Handley’s fingerprints on it which he claimed someone else must have used after him.

Mr Quinn said the final offence was in Horsforth five days later when at approximately 10am a man wearing a black hoodie entered brandishing a knife, shouting “It’s a robbery, get me the money now.”

He threatened to stab one of the assistants and took £1,000 and 1,400 Euros and was seen by a witness running away from the premises with the knife in one hand and pushing money into his pocket with the other. He was seen to get into a silver Peugeot which was later traced to an acquaintance of Handley.

When that vehicle was later examined a black hooded top and scarf carrying “cellular material” matching Handley’s DNA was found inside a bag along with a knife.

Mr Quinn said: “You may think it was simply a robbing kit bag.”

Handley denied he was responsible for the offences and told police others must have used items previously belonging to him.

After the case Det Insp Phil Jackson said: “Handley was involved in a terrifying series of robberies where staff were threatened at knifepoint and put in genuine fear for their safety.

“We hope the significant sentence he has received will provide some source of comfort to the victims and the wider community and also serve as a deterrent to others who think they can commit offences like this without having to face the consequences.”