Image from the scene of the robbery
(Picture: Met police)Four members of a criminal gang were put behind bars after they robbed a man of his watch and two diamond rings worth £43,000.
They were jailed for the robbery for nearly 39 years in total following a special investigation by detectives from the Met’s Flying Squad.
Alan Kelly, 27, of Moray Road, Islington was handed a prison sentence of 10 years and nine months.
David Kelly, 37, of HMP Highdown, Surrey was sentenced to nine years and eight months’ imprisonment.
Corrie Moroney, 29, of Highbury New Park, Islington, and Lewis Sokhi, 28, of Englefield Road, Islington were put behind bars for nine years.
The gang riding e-bicycles ambushed the victim, a man in his 20s, when he was leaving a hotel in Stratton Street, Mayfair at 7.30pm on November 21 in 2020.
One of the gang members, Alan Kelly, pulled out a large ‘Rambo knife’ and the group got the victim to the ground.
In the attack, a £25,000 Rolex watch and two diamond rings worth £9,000 each were stolen from his person.
Security hotel staff tried to intervene but the gang fled the scene and they could not be traced during a search by response officers.
The victim was left shaken but did not suffer any serious physical injuries.
CCTV and mobile phone enquiries led Fly Squad detectives to the gang during their special investigation.
It placed the men at Kelly’s home in Moray Road at around 5pm on the evening of the attack and they were seen in the vicinity of Brompton Road, near Harrods at 6.50pm before moving onto Mayfair where they robbed the victim.
The gang pleaded guilty to robbery and they were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday.
Judge Philip Brook Smith QC also issued Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs) banning them using e-bicycles when they are released - the same e-bikes they used during the robbery.
Lead investigating officer Detective Constable David Reed said: “This was a truly horrible experience for the victim who was just going about his evening when he was attacked. He no doubt feared for his life. I’d like to thank him for supporting us through the investigation and judicial process.”
He added: “Targeting violent crime is the absolute top priority for everyone in the Met, so I am very pleased to see these sentences and SCPOs handed down today. We’re determined to do everything we can to keep the public safe by disrupting and deterring high harm offenders.
“The results today are a clear warning to anyone else concerned in such offences that whatever tactics you use, the MPS will investigate you, we will find you, and we’ll do everything in our power to make sure you go to prison.”
