Five men have today been sentenced to more than 13 years in jail for their part in violently robbing a security guard carrying thousands in cash and a further attempted robbery.
Members of the gang dressed in masks and wearing gloves had been foiled attempting to rob two G4S security guards replenishing a bank cash machine on High Street, East Ham, on June 26, 2012, with police arresting two of the men.
They later went on to steal a cash box containing £12,000 from a member of Sunwin cash delivery staff, grabbing the man in a “bear hug” and punching him in the mouth, in Lower Addiscombe Road, Croydon, on July 25 last year.
All five were sentenced at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to rob.
Det Con Nick Larkey, of the Met’s Flying Squad, said he was “pleased” with the sentences handed down and thanked the efforts of police and cctv operators in Newham and Croydon.
He added: “These five individuals could have gone on to commit more violent robberies against security guards who were simply doing their job.
“They would have got away with large sums of money.
“The sentences passed should act as a deterrent for those individuals considering in engaging in this type of crime.”
The two men involved in the second incident were caught by police after officers spotted the car they had escaped in and stopped it, finding them with the stolen cash box inside.
Myles Harris, 23, of Butcher Walk, Swanscombe, Kent, and Adrian Markland, 21, of Ballater Road, Brixton, were arrested on foot by officers after the first incident.
Harris received a 12 months prison sentence while Markland was handed down two years and three months.
Nathan Clarke-Greyson, 24, of Longheath Gardens, Croydon, and Nathan Rose-Bennett, 23, of Grange Park Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon, evaded police but were later arrested after DNA from discarded clothing led officers to them.
Rose-Bennett, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment.
Clarke-Greyson, who was also involved in the second incident, received five years in jail.
Mark Buchanan, 21, of Wychwood Way, Gypsy Hill, Crystal Palace, was only involved in the second incident and was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment.
He received eight months on top of that after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and was disqualified from driving for two years.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here