Cameron Woodhead banned from every Bradford McDonald's

Back in March 2019, Cameron Woodhead was jailed for 10-and-a-half years for previous offences of robbery, attempted robbery, and possession of a bladed article, but a court heard on Monday that the drug user was let out on prison licence in March this year.

Just four months later, the 27-year-old, of Idle Road, Bradford, armed himself with a knife and went into the McDonalds restaurant on Valley Road - the scene of one of his previous robberies.

The McDonald's on Valley Road (Image: Google Street View)

A judge was shown CCTV footage from inside the premises which showed Woodhead, with his hood up, walking straight behind the serving counter and some members of staff running to safety as he demanded that other female workers open a safe and the till.

Woodhead disputed that he had held the knife to the neck of one woman during the terrifying incident, but Recorder Paul Reid said the defendant had grabbed the staff member and the knife was close enough to her body and neck for it to cause considerable consternation to her and others.

Woodhead managed to grab about £1,400 in cash from the safe and tills, but the robbery was thwarted by a brave off-duty security guard who grappled with the defendant and was able to disarm him with the help of other staff.

One of the female employees suffered a cut to the hand during the incident and Woodhead himself had to be treated in hospital later for a head injury after he was struck with a chip frying basket.

Woodhead pleaded guilty to the late-night robbery and possession of a bladed article charges at an earlier court hearing and Recorder Reid concluded he was a dangerous offender and an extended sentence was needed to protect the public.

Woodhead, who appeared via a prison video link, is already recalled to prison until 2029 and he was sentenced him to five years and four months in jail.

Cameron Woodhead (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

But the dangerousness assessment means that even after serving two-thirds of that sentence Woodhead will not be released until the Parole Board decides it is safe to do so.

Woodhead will also have to comply with an extended licence period of five years following any release.

The judge said the criminal behaviour order which bans Woodhead from going into any McDonald's in the area would be an indefinite order until further notice.

Barrister Andrew Stranex, for Woodhead, said it was a desperately sad case involving a defendant who had a complex history.

He said the offending had been seen as a “win, win” situation by his client because he either got the money to spend on drugs or he would go back to jail which he bizarrely saw as a safe place for him.

Mr Stranex submitted that the injury suffered by the female member of staff was not caused deliberately by his client, but he conceded it was still serious offending.

Recorder Reid said Woodhead would have been jailed for eight years following trial and even though he was caught at the scene and arrested by police he was still entitled to a third off his sentence for his early guilty pleas.

“It is in my view the case that you are dangerous,” he told Woodhead.