Luxury goods smash-and-grab gang jailed
Seven men are sentenced for series of raids on high-end stores
Friday, 20th March — By Tom Foot
Caught on CCTV: the gang used sledgehammers to smash shop windows [Metropolitan Police Service]
A CRIMINAL network of smash-and-grab thieves has been taken out, the Metropolitan Police Service said, after seven men were sentenced for a series of raids on high-end stores.
The group, mainly from Paddington, raided designer and jewellery shops in Sloane Street, St John’s Wood High Street, Edgware Road, Kensington Church Street, Duke Street, and Marylebone High Street.
CCTV footage showed the masked men brazenly using sledgehammers to bust a high street window in the daytime as parents with a baby buggy walk by. Another shows a car ram-raid another store in Sloane Street at night. Getaway vehicles included a Jaguar XE, Peugeot 5008 and motorbikes.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Mather, from the Flying Squad, said: “We realise these attacks on luxury stores have had a significant impact on business owners and the communities around them.
“Our detectives worked quickly, establishing common patterns between the attacks to link them to one criminal network. Forensic analysis and fast-paced CCTV enquiries were then able to identify the suspects.
“This is a clear message to anyone who thinks they can carry out smash-and-grab raids in London; we will identify you, we will track you down and we will bring you to justice.”
The seven defendants, who pleaded guilty, are Christopher Gibbs, 43, of Bayswater, who was sentenced to six years for four counts of burglary in Sloane Street, St John’s Wood High Street, Duke Street and Marylebone High Street, and one of attempted burglary in Marylebone High Street.
George O’Hare, 37, of Hammersmith, was sentenced to two years on one count of burglary in Sloane Street; Paul Hughes, 42, of Church Street, was sentenced to five years for burglary in Sloane Street and St John’s Wood High Street.
David Rigelsford, 37, from Kilburn, was sentenced to three years and nine months for burglary in Kensington Church Street and Duke Street.
Anthony Munday, 40, of Harrow Road; Lee McCready, 45, of Uxbridge; and Matthew Windrass, 50, of Ascot, were also convicted.
The MPS said robbery offences dropped by 6.9 per cent over the past year and burglary offences were down by 10.5 per cent over the same period.
