A “cowardly career criminal” who held vulnerable women at knifepoint during a six-week spree robbing shops has been jailed.

Kevin Brandy, 50, of Harbridge Avenue, Wandsworth, would wear a hood or balaclava and threaten female workers or customers with a knife before demanding money.

The callous crook held a knife to a pregnant woman’s stomach at one point, and frogmarched a woman with a young baby to the back of a store at knifepoint.

His spate of 10 thefts began at a nail bar in Holloway Road, Islington on March 28 when he stole the contents of a moneybox and £35 from a handbag, and locked the victim up in a bathroom.

On April 9 he threatened two shop workers in a women’s clothing store in Shoreditch High Street and stole £200 from the till.

Two days later he took £200 from a clothing store in Kingsland Road, Dalston.

Then on April 27 he stole £80 from a beauty salon in Holloway Road, and pointed a knife at the pregnant victim’s stomach.

He stole £20 from a member of staff and a bag containing a mobile phone at a nail bar in High Road, Finchley on April 30.

And on May 5 he held a knife to the neck of one customer, and stole £100 from another at a hair and beauty salon in Eversholt Street, Camden. Later the same day he stole £100 from a clothing store in Hackney Road.

On May 9 he stole a further £70 from an opticians in St Johns Way, Archway, and £30 from a vintage clothing store in Amhurst Road, Lower Clapton.

Two days later he took £120 from a mother with her young baby in a nail salon in Commercial Street, Whitechapel.

Victims gave identical descriptions of the suspects in each case of a man wearing either a dark green jacket with a fur-trimmed hood, or dark shorts and a dark hooded top.

When he was arrested by officers from the Hackney crime squad in Putney while topping up his Oyster Card, they found three Stanley knives inside his rucksack.

He was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment with an extended licence period of five years at Wood Green Crown Court today after admitting robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

Det Const Angus Handley, who led the investigation for, said: “Brandy was extremely brazen and did not hesitate to threaten violence during these robberies, deliberately targeting shops with female staff and customers.

“In each case, he made off with a small amount of money but inflicted serious trauma on his victims who have been extremely brave since their ordeals and in cooperating with police, giving all-important information about the suspect.

“The judge, in handing down his sentence, called Brandy a “cowardly career criminal” and imposed an extended sentence for these appalling offences.”