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UPDATE: Selfridges £1.5m smash and grab duo jailed

Sam Curtin and Connor Groake pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and aggravated vehicle taking and were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court yesterday.

The two men who admitted their part in the £1.5 million luxury watch smash and grab at Selfridges, in which the thieves masqueraded as women in burkas, earlier in the month, received their sentence yesterday.

Curtin was given 10 years in prison for conspiracy to rob with an extended license period of three years. He also received 18 months concurrent for aggravated taking and driving away (TDA). He was disqualified from driving for 2.5 years.

Groake received eight years imprisonment for conspiracy to rob. He received nine months imprisonment consecutive for breach of his suspended sentence. He also received two years imprisonment concurrent for aggravated TDA. He was disqualified from driving for two and a half years and ordered to take an Extended Driving Test.

Speaking about the incident, Samantha Morris, CPS London reviewing lawyer, said: "Sam Curtin and Connor Groake took part in a terrifying armed raid on Selfridges department store in Oxford Street on June 6. They were part of a group who stole almost £1.5million worth of watches and jewellery. The group stormed the store and used axes and sledgehammers to break glass display cabinets and scoop out the high value items by the handful.

"The ferocity of the attack caused members of the public to fear for their lives with some even thinking it could be a terrorist attack.

"Following the raid the pair attempted to flee the scene on a moped but they crashed and were detained by members of the public until police arrived. They were found with a holdall containing 41 of the 142 stolen watches.

"CPS London is committed to tackling the menace of smash and grab raids to ensure that people can work and shop in the capital without fear of violence."

The two men, from Islington in London, were part of a gang of six who mingled with shoppers and then smashed their way through cabinet displays using axes and sledge hammers, before attempting to escape on vehicles including a moped, motorbikes and a car. The gang stole 142 watches from the department store, 41 of which were recovered at the scene by police. Watches stolen in the raid included models from Hublot, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Dreyfuss, Zenith, U-Boat, Raymond Weil, Blancpain, Frederique Constant, Burberry, Bremont, Baume & Mercier and Audemars Piguet.

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