A smash-and-grab gang has been locked up for a total of 22 years after a string of brazen raids on luxury stores.
The seven-strong crew stole more than £100,000 worth of goods during a four-month crime spree.
Using bricks, sledgehammers and even a Ford Fiesta to smash their way in, the thugs targeted high-end shops across London.
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They made off with watches, jewellery, fine art and safes stuffed with cash before fleeing in stolen motors.
In total, the gang carried out five successful burglaries between May and July, raking in £146,356 worth of stolen goods.
Their crime wave was finally brought to an end after a major Met Police Flying Squad investigation.
Officers trawled through CCTV and carried out detailed forensic work to track down the suspects and bring them to justice, as reported by Need To Know.
The gang members were Christopher Gibbs, 43, George O’Hare, 42, Paul Hughes, 42, Anthony Munday, 40, Lee James McCready, 46, Matthew Windrass, 50, and David Rigelsford, 37.
After sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Scott Mather, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said: “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.”
The criminal network struck at seven high-value stores in total, stealing more than £100,000 during 2025.
In one raid at 3:45am on Thursday, 8 May, a blue Ford Fiesta was rammed into the doors of a luxury clothes store on Sloane Street, Kensington, three times.
Three raiders stormed inside and grabbed £8,350 worth of designer goods before fleeing in a silver Mercedes and on a motorbike.
At 3:50am on Monday, 30 June, two men smashed the window of a café on St John’s Wood High Street, Westminster, stealing a safe containing more than £1,000 in cash.
Just days later, at 4:15pm on Tuesday, 1 July, two men armed with sledgehammers smashed their way into a jewellers on Edgware Road, Westminster, making off with £59,930 worth of watches and jewellery.
At 3:10am on Sunday, 13 July, two crooks forced entry into a shop on Kensington Church Street, Kensington, stealing items worth more than £10,000 and causing further damage.
At 3:30am on Monday, 21 July, a man used a sledgehammer to smash the doors of a watch shop on Duke Street, Westminster. He smashed display cabinets but fled empty-handed.
Days later, at 3am on Sunday, 27 July, a raider smashed the front of a fine art shop on Marylebone High Street, Westminster, stealing two paintings.
And at 4:37am on Tuesday, 5 August, another suspect tried to smash his way into a beauty store using a brick before running off.
Police tracked stolen getaway cars used in the raids, including a Jaguar XE and a white Peugeot 5008, through extensive CCTV work.
That evidence, combined with intensive forensic analysis, helped officers piece together the gang’s movements and identify those responsible.
After the first arrests, detectives examined digital devices, uncovering the wider criminal network and securing all seven convictions.
Gibbs, McCready, Windrass, O’Hare and Munday were arrested in a series of coordinated dawn raids on Tuesday, 5 August involving the Flying Squad, Met officers and Thames Valley Police.
Hughes and Rigelsford were later arrested and charged on 29 September and 29 October.
All seven defendants previously pleaded guilty.
They were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday (17 March).
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