A 33-year-old man from Bexleyheath has been jailed for eight years for his involvement in a series of robberies across London.

David Mays, of Chessington Avenue, was one of seven men sentenced yesterday (July 30) following a trial at Kingston Crown Court.

The smash and grab gang were caught by police after orchestrating a morning raid on jewellers Mappin and Webb in the heart of London.

Under the instruction of Reece Dunford, 31, of Waltham Abbey, Mays and three other men smashed through the doors of the high-end jewellery shop using motorbikes.

Two of the men - believed to be Mays and one other - ran inside, still wearing their motorcycle helmets and armed with sledgehammers and an axe whilst a third man waited outside.

They threatened terrified members of staff before targeting the shop displays with the most valuable watches.

They smashed through the glass cabinets and made off with over £300,000 of Rolex watches, leaving the sledgehammers and an axe behind at the scene.

The watches were dropped off at a house linked to the gang in Islington but less than three hours later, detectives from the Met’s Flying Squad swooped on the address.

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Some of the watches recovered by police.

Dunford was jailed for 12 years for conspiracy to rob Mappin and Webb; conspiracy to burgle Goldsmiths in Colchester and Alexander McQueen; conspiracy to produce Class B drugs; and conspiracy to handle stolen goods from Pauric Sweeney, Selfridges, Prada, Jumeriah Carlton Tower Hotel, Watches of Switzerland, Mappin and Webb and Jimmy Choo.

For conspiracy to rob Mappin and Webb, Mays was jailed for eight years.

The seven men received a total combined jail time of 64 years for their varying degrees of involvment in 10 robberies.

  • Hatton Garden jeweller Yair Cohen, 71, from Hackney, was jailed for six years for conspiracy to handle stolen goods at Selfridges; conspiracy to handle stolen goods from Watches of Switzerland; conspiracy to handle stolen goods from Mappin and Webb; converting criminal property; entering into or becoming concerned in a money laundering arrangement and cheating the revenue.
  • Vincent Kamara, 28, from Camden, was jailed for 12 years for conspiracy to commit robbery at Mappin and Webb.

  • Danny St Luce, 29, from Islington and Boz Burbridge, 31, from Camden, were both jailed for seven years for conspiracy to rob Mappin and Webb.

  • Patrick Spencer O’Brien, 23, from Islington, was jailed for 12 years for conspiracy to commit robbery at the Jumeriah Carlton Tower Hotel.

Two further people are due to be sentenced next month.