Five men have been found guilty of carrying out a ram raid on a jewellery shop in Birmingham, stealing nearly £300,000 worth of items. The robbery at Danyaal Jewellers in Sparkbrook was captured on CCTV on 3 March last year.
The gang used a stolen Toyota Hilux to smash into the store on Ladypool Road. Three men armed with a sledgehammer entered and broke into display cabinets, stuffing jewellery into sacks. A fourth man remained in the vehicle, while a fifth acted as crowd control, waving an axe at witnesses.
The men—John Gourlay, 49, Trevor Leek, 44, Justin Boylan, 51, Arfan Latif, 38, and Hassan Zulfiqar, 26—all from Birmingham, were convicted of conspiracy to rob and possessing an offensive weapon at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday.
Police said the gang used three vehicles: a black Land Rover Discovery, a white Toyota Hilux, and a black Toyota Corolla. The Land Rover and Corolla blocked the road, while the Hilux reversed into the shop. A staff member inside narrowly missed being hit by falling debris.
Detective Constable Patrick Fuldun described the raid as an extensively planned armed robbery. He added: 'This took place in broad daylight on a busy street and must have been horrendous for witnesses. The staff member inside narrowly escaped serious injury.'
