Armed robber's love of odd disguises

Detectives have named a man they believe uses fancy dress disguises to rob bookmakers at gunpoint. A £10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of 53-year-old Martin Joseph Reilly.



He is believed to have taken over £20,000 in 11 raids on bookmakers in Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and London. Detectives think Reilly is using trains and buses to reach shops just as they open up in the morning, using a gun or knife to demand money.



They believe he is using fancy dress to hide scars on his face including a horseshoe-like scar on his left cheek. Reilly is wanted over raids in Hove, Brighton and Eastbourne in July, wearing an Elvis-style wig and sunglasses in one attack. Police believe they were part of a robbery spree which started in Kettering on Monday, June 13.



They believe Reilly has struck in Bedford, Working, Portsmouth and Westcliff-on-Sea in Essex, with the most recent raid in Baker Street, London, on Monday. Reilly is described as white, 6ft 1in, medium build, with blue eyes, a shaven head and scars on each cheek.