A VIOLENT robber jailed for six and a half years after attacks with a gun and meat cleaver may have his sentence reviewed.

Jon Shirley, 23, was jailed at Oxford Crown Court on Friday after he admitted four armed robberies during a six-day spree in February.

Shopkeeper Paul McLoughlin, 64, who was smashed in the face and head with an imitation pistol when Shirley robbed his Londis store, in High Street, Wheatley, criticised the sentence.

Shirley, who has already served about three months of his jail term, will be eligible for early release halfway through his sentence.

But police are now reviewing whether the sentence can be appealed against as being too lenient.

A spokesman said: “Thames Valley Police, in conjunction with the Crown Prosecution Service, are in active consultation as to whether the case of Jon Shirley is an appropriate case to refer to the Attorney General’s Office for consideration under the Unduly Lenient Sentence procedure.

“The Attorney General must then decide whether to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal for review.”

Shirley also admitted two counts of possessing an imitation firearm.

He robbed the BP petrol station in Cherwell Drive, Oxford, and the Londis, in Wheatley, both at gunpoint.

He also raided the home of John and Dorothy Hazell, in Beckley, armed with a machete.

Police linked Shirley with at least five more armed robberies at about the same time, and are no longer looking for anyone else in connection with the raids.

Mr McLoughlin, who needed stitches to a head wound, said: “I’m unhappy about the sentence and so are the police, so it should be appealed.

“The court was too lenient. We should be getting protection from the court.”