Judge tells jewellery shop raiders they must repay £250k from ill-gotten gains
The five men behind a daytime ram raid on a Birmingham jewellery shop have been ordered to pay back nearly £250,000 of their ill-gotten gains.
The robbers snatched jewellery from Danyaal Jewellers in Sparkbrook in Birmingham after ramming a stolen Toyota into the front of the shop on March 3, 2022.
Three of the men armed with a sledgehammer then went inside, smashing their way into two display cabinets, and began stashing jewellery in bags while the fourth man remained in the Hilux and a fifth man acted as 'crowd control' waving an axe at witnesses.
Footage of the raid was caught on Danyaal Jewellers own CCTV while mobile phone footage taken by members of the public also captured the dramatic raid.
Five men were found guilty of conspiracy to rob and possessing an offensive weapon following a four-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court after West Midlands Police detectives were able to prove they were all present at the scene of the robbery.
The five men convicted were John Gourlay, aged 49, from Pershore Road, Selly Oak; Trevor Leek, aged 44, of Southgate Road, Kingstanding; Justin Boylan, aged 51, of Schoolacre Road, Shard End; Arfan Latif, aged 38, from Kinver Croft, Balsall Heath; and Hassan Zulfiqar, aged 26, also from Kinver Croft.
They were handed prison sentences totalling 72-and-a half-years. Now, after a lengthy investigation by the force Economic Crime Unit, including a review of the assets of the gang, they have been told that they must repay £180,075 within three months, or face another nine months in prison.
The remaining balance will live with the gang for their lifetime until the full benefit figure is paid back.
Financial Investigator Andrew Reedman, who led the investigation, said “This was a serious offence and had a major impact on the victims and the business involved. Our role does not stop when offenders are sentenced by the court, we will seek to recover the proceeds of crime from offenders utilising all powers available to us to ensure that crime doesn’t pay.”
Speaking after the robbers were convicted in 2023 DC Patrick Fuldun, from the Force Priorities Team, said: “This was clearly an extensively planned armed robbery, with careful thought by the five defendants going into disguising themselves, the vehicles and the locations of their phones.
“This robbery took place in broad daylight, on a busy street, and must have been horrendous for anyone witnessing it. The staff member inside narrowly escaped serious injury, if not worse.
“The offenders managed to make off with nearly £300,000 in jewellery. However, after excellent investigative work from our officers we were able to provide sufficient evidence for the jury to convict all five men for being present during the raid. We are delighted that all five have been convicted. It is a testament to the tenacity of officers at West Midlands Police and a firm deterrent to criminals considering a similar crime.”
