Kent Police have reported that an armed robber who targeted two Swanley businesses in the space of a few hours and threatened to kill staff with a gun and a knife has now been jailed for almost 10 years after victims were also warned they would be harmed with acid.
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On 23 March 2024 at around 9.40pm, Karl Kaynar, pictured next, entered Domino’s Pizza in the High Street with what appeared to be a firearm and demanded staff hand over money. After climbing a counter, he pulled open a cash drawer and stole around £400. During the ordeal, Kaynar shouted threats to shoot and kill people, warning ‘do you want to die?’
The following day, only a short distance away, an Asda petrol station in London Road was Kaynar’s next target. He entered the premises at around 6.30am and threatened employees with a knife and a broken paving slab. During this robbery, Kaynar warned he would throw acid into the face of a victim before fleeing on foot with thousands of pounds in stolen cash.
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Kaynar was tracked down and arrested later the same day. Searches close to the crime scenes led to the recovery of the handgun he had used, which was identified as being an air weapon. A bag he carried during the Asda robbery was seized from an address linked to him in Swanley. A knife was also found on a bed.
Kaynar, 42, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to two counts of robbery, possession of an imitation firearm and possession of a knife in a public place. He also admitted additional theft and drug offences, as well as a further armed robbery, on 22 March, which was investigated by the Metropolitan Police and determined by the court as the most serious offence.
On 15 October 2025, Kaynar was sentenced to a total of nine years and four months’ imprisonment (already having spent 18 months on remand). He will also have to serve a further 86 days after breaching a suspended sentence and on his release from prison will be subject to an additional licence period of four years.
Detective Constable Rosie Acton said:
‘Kaynar’s actions left his victims in genuine fear for their lives. The gun he used may not have been a genuine firearm, however, it certainly looked very real. He also held a kitchen knife to the back of a shop assistant and made chilling threats to another victim they would be maimed with acid. There is little doubt that had Kaynar not been quickly identified and arrested, he would have gone on to target further victims, and I do hope that our successful investigation and the fact that he is now behind bars serving a lengthy sentence provides some reassurance to those who live and work in Swanley.’