London Gang Faces Lengthy Prison Terms After £150,000 Luxury Robbery Spree
A prolific and violent gang of robbers, responsible for stealing almost £150,000 worth of luxury goods during a four-month crime spree targeting high-end stores across London, is now facing substantial jail time. The men executed a series of seven audacious raids last year, employing brutal methods including ramming a car into a luxury clothing store, smashing into a jewellers with a sledgehammer, and breaking into a fine art shop.
Notorious Crew and Their Criminal History
The dock at Kingston Crown Court was packed as the gang members, all previously convicted on burglary charges, appeared together. The group includes Lee McCready, 46, who participated in one robbery while on a lifetime licence for a murder committed in 2005. He was joined by Christopher Gibbs, 43, Matthew Windrass, 50, George O’Hare, 42, Anthony Munday, 40, Paul Hughes, 42, and 37-year-old David Rigelsford.
Detectives from Scotland Yard's elite Flying Squad meticulously linked the gang members by analysing hours of CCTV footage. They established that the same vehicles were used by different members across various robberies, revealing a coordinated criminal network.
Detailed Timeline of the Robbery Spree
The spree commenced on May 8, when Gibbs, O’Hare, and a third accomplice rammed a blue Ford Fiesta into the entrance of the luxury clothing store Fendi in Kensington. The trio escaped in a Mercedes getaway car with £8,350 worth of designer goods.
In the early hours of June 30, Hughes and Gibbs broke into the Unico café in St Johns Wood, northwest London, stealing £1,107 in cash along with the store’s safe. Later that same day, McCready and Windrass conducted a shocking nine-minute daylight raid at 4.15pm on a jewellers on Edgware Road in west London. Using a sledgehammer, they smashed through reinforced glass, stealing over £60,000 worth of watches and jewellery. Munday acted as the getaway driver, and the trio fled in a silver Jaguar with a haul valued at least £59,930.
CCTV footage captured the balaclava-clad robbers bludgeoning the store's glass before snatching valuables and stuffing them into black bags. McCready, notably, had been freed on a lifetime licence in 2017 after being jailed for life for his role in a gang that stamped, kicked, and stabbed Ricky Fisher to death in 2005.
Further Raids and Bungled Attempts
At 3.20am on July 13, Rigelsford and another suspect parked a white SUV outside a store in Kensington, kicked their way inside, and took £11,000 worth of goods. Eight days later, Rigelsford and Gibbs attempted to smash into a watch store in Westminster at 3.30am using a sledgehammer, but they left empty-handed after destroying cabinets inside. In a critical error, Gibbs revealed his identity by using a Lime bike to travel to the shop, booked via his personal bank account.
The following Sunday, the gang stole £66,500 worth of goods from Clarendon Fine Art in Marylebone, central London, at 3.04am. Gibbs and another man used a paving block taken from a white Peugeot to smash through the front door, snatched the artwork, and fled towards Oxford Street.
On August 5, Gibbs targeted the beauty supply store NK Apothecary in Marylebone, launching a brick at the window but failing to break inside. Additionally, Rigelsford burgled the May Fair Hotel on March 31, stealing £12,000 worth of bags and valuables from a couple who had left their room. On May 22, he stole a convertible Mini Cooper, which was later used as a getaway vehicle in a burglary at the luxury Phillips Auction House in Mayfair, where items worth £610,500 were taken.
Convictions and Police Response
Christopher Gibbs, of Bayswater, was convicted of four counts of burglary on Sloane Street, St John's Wood High Street, Duke Street, and Marylebone High Street, plus one count of attempted burglary on Marylebone High Street. George O’Hare, of Wormholt, was convicted of one count of burglary on Sloane Street, possession of Class A drugs, and breach of a serious crime prevention order. David Rigelsford, of Kilburn, was convicted of three counts of burglary on Kensington Church Street, Duke Street, and Mayfair, two thefts of a motor vehicle, and one theft from a motor vehicle.
Paul Hughes, of Church Street, was convicted of two counts of burglary on Sloane Street and St John's Wood High Street. Matthew Windrass, of Ascot, Berkshire, was convicted of one count of burglary on Edgware Road. Anthony Munday, of Hyde Park, was convicted of one count of burglary on Edgware Road. Lee McCready, of Grand Junction Place, Uxbridge, was convicted of one count of burglary on Edgware Road, committed while on licence for the 2005 murder.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Mather, from the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad, stated: ‘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.’
Sentencing has been adjourned to March 17, with all gang members now awaiting their fate behind bars.
