One member of an armed moped gang that carried out a daylight raid of Watches of Switzerland on London’s Regent Street has been jailed.
Jamie Farrell, 31, was part of a six person gang who stole 29 Rolex watches worth £440,000 in a terrifying attack on June 5 this year.
Southwark Crown Court heard how the gang arrived at the three-storey luxury watch store on three mopeds at 10.20am.
Still wearing black crash helmets and armed with sledgehammers and machetes, they rode one of the mopeds into the shop and used it to jam open the doors.
They immediately headed for the Rolex room where they smashed into five display cases.
Police were quickly on the scene, causing the gang to scatter. Mr Farrell was pursued and dumped his gloves, a crash helmet and a bag of 11 watches during the chase.
Police later discovered a further six Rolex watches at an address in Islington, near to where a moped had been abandoned.
They said 17 of the 29 Rolexes, worth £300,000, have been recovered.
Mr Farrell was jailed for eight years after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.
None of his accomplices have been caught.
