Eagle-eyed passerby helps catch gang of robbers (From Your Local Guardian)

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Eagle-eyed passerby helps catch gang of robbers

5:04pm Tuesday 9th June 2009 in Richmond

An 11-strong gang were sentenced to a total of 44 years behind bars for a string of robberies thanks to the actions of an eagle-eyed man in Teddington.

The 11 were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court last month after entering 107 guilty pleas between them at an earlier hearing in relation to 72 offences across London.

The gang, who all lived in east and south-east London, targeted high-value gaming machines in bookmakers and other premises and obtained £135,700 during the robberies, the vast majority of which took place between October 2007 and June 2008.

Detective Chief Inspector Pam Mace, of Barnes Flying Squad, explained one of the key milestones in the investigation was in May 2008 when a member of the public took down part of the registration of a blue Ford Puma used at a robbery in Teddington.

Research linked the car to Devon Anderson, 28, of Bourdon Road, SE20, and further investigation led to the identification of the gang - all in their late 20s and 30s.

Flying Squad officers carried out surveillance on the gang and arrested some during a robbery at William Hill in Peckham, on June 27 last year. Further arrests were made in September and all 11 pleaded guilty to a range of offences.

D Ch Insp Mace praised the passerby in Teddington, who has not been named, for their help in catching the men.

She said: "These men used intimidation to control the situation and ensure they could carry out their crimes without resistance.

“They were motivated by greed, damaging property and causing considerable distress, for a relatively small amount of money when split between the group.

“The evidence collected against them was overwhelming and I am pleased they chose to plead guilty and save the considerable expense of a trial.

"This is an example of one member of the public going out of their way to assist the police and it leading to the identification of a gang of prolific robbers.

“I have no doubt that these individuals would have continued offending if they had not been caught."

Comments(13)

Rupert Harris says...
3:40pm Wed 10 Jun 09

Despite pleading guilty I assume they did, in fact, get a trial. (see above)