A cocky bank robber who was caught when he took a trophy photo of £25,000 in stolen notes was jailed for 12 years.

Shane Perry, 25, and Simon Cort, 27 both from Carrongton Court, in Kingston Road, New Malden, held up a string of banks across south London and Surrey netting almost £40,000.

Prosecutor Charles Evans said Cort went into the banks and Perry waited outside on each occasion.

On Friday Kingston Crown Court heard how Perry - a career criminal who had raided many banks, including the Abbey National in Tooting in 2000 - and Cort first struck at the HSBC in New Malden High Street on March 30 last year.

Terrified cashier Sarah Kempson handed over a bag containing £3,000 to Cort.

Then on April 12 he strolled into Natwest in Norwood Road, West Norwood, brandished his gun and demanded cash.

But the clerk ran off and locked herself away, leaving Cort empty-handed.

Frustrated at his failure, he raided another Natwest, in London Road, Mitcham and left £5,800 richer.

Brimming with confidence, Cort headed to Purley, in Croydon, and ran into the Halifax in Purley Parade where he waved a gun in the face of Anna Cormack.

Terrified she was going to be shot, Ms Cormack gave him £5,000.

The pair struck again on May 2 - at the same HSBC in New Malden as they raided in March.

Sarah Kempson was again working behind the tills when she looked up to see the terrifying face of Cort demanding money at gunpoint.

Frightened he would pull the trigger this time around, she scoured the branch for money and gave Cort £26,000.

Back at their flat, the smug pair piled bundles of 20s and 50s on the floor and Perry took three photographs of their haul on his mobile phone.

Cort then headed to buy back a gold chain he had pawned in Streatham.

The robbers were eventually arrested in Clapham.

Detectives found the photos of the loot on Perry's phone and also analysed the crooks' phone calls to link them to the raids.

Cort owned up to the robberies while Perry denied them but was eventually convicted of the raids.

Mr Evans told the court that many of the cashiers have either moved branches or left banking since the raids.

Ms Kempson now suffers from panic attacks, her colleague Lisa Stepney, 36, had a stroke shortly afterwards, which she put down to the stress of the raids.

Jailing Perry for 12 years and Cort for eight years, Judge Susan Matthews, QC, said: "The cashiers were put in very great fear for their lives and no doubt this fear was intense.

"Perry, you relished that money by taking photographs of it. You were cocky but careful with the risks you took and put yourself at a distance."

Cort admitted five charges of conspiracy to rob and one attempted robbery with the possession of an imitation firearm.

Perry was convicted of the same charges.