A man who was sat upon by passers-by after a £100,000 watch raid at Robert Jones Jeweller in Banbury has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Jimmy Stringer, 23, was part of a gang that targeted Robert Jones Jeweller on September 11, but has been the only member of the group to be charged, despite a total of four arrests being made in connection with the crime.
Stringer fled from the shop, after he and his gang smashed through the windows of the store with sledgehammers, when an anti-theft smoke device was activated. Once outside, the gang was set upon by pedestrians.
CCTV captured the scene as members of the public tried to stop the gang by bashing them with advertising boards and walking sticks, but it was Stringer who was well and truly caught by the crowd. He was pinned to the ground and sat upon until the police arrived to arrest him.
A member of the public also managed to get hold of the watches stolen in the raid – estimated to be worth about £100,000 – and returned them to the store. Although nothing was stolen, Michael Jones Jewellers was left with a bill of £30,000 for damage to the store and for some of the watches that had to be repaired.
You can watch a a video of the crowd pinning Stringer to the ground while waiting for the police below.
