Three men have been jailed over a series of smash and grab robberies in some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods of London.
The gang hit high-value fashion shops in Bond Street, in the city's Mayfair area, and Sloane Square in Chelsea, causing £1 million ($1.3 million) in losses and damage.
They carried out five robberies over a three-month period. They used stolen vehicles to ram designer shops such as YSL, Bottega Venetta, END and Lora Piana.
Once inside, they would grab as much as they could carry and then flee.
In a raid on one shop in December 2025, they stole more than 105 items worth nearly £385,000, including handbags, clothing and boots. The items included a £30,000 coat.
London's Metropolitan Police managed to track the offenders 8km across London using CCTV and automatic number plate recognition. Within six weeks of the last robbery, they found the whole group, as well as stolen vehicles, matching the men to DNA left at the scene.
The group, all from Islington in north London, were jailed for a combined 14 years and 10 months at Inner London Crown Court on Thursday.
The Met has tried to crack down on crime in the UK capital after a string of phone and watch thefts dented the city’s reputation and led to warnings that it was not a safe place to visit.
"These robberies have a lasting impact on businesses, their staff and the wider community, affecting livelihoods as well as causing significant emotional and financial harm through the threats, violence and intimidation involved," said Detective Constable Will Wigzell, from the Met’s Flying Squad.
“This organised crime group carried out a series of brazen smash-and-grab robberies across some of London’s busiest shopping districts. They carefully planned their offences, using stolen vehicles and mopeds in an attempt to evade detection.”
He added that the sentences marked a “significant milestone” in the investigation.” I hope they demonstrate our commitment to tackling smash-and-grab robberies in London by pursuing those involved, wherever they are,” he said.
Police enquiries led them to a shop in Cornwall, where one of the gang was selling the items well below their value, but still making thousands of pounds. Officers uncovered messages that showed the £30,000 coat had been sold for £1,800.
Two members of the gang, Ryan Brough and Max Tyson, were each jailed for six years and five months after admitting two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary. Harry Johnson was jailed for 22 months after admitting handling stolen goods.
Sonny Stringer was given a 22-month suspended prison sentence after admitting to handling stolen goods. Olivier Ndayizeie was given a 36-week suspended sentence after admitting to encouraging or assisting an offence.
The Met said it remained committed to tackling issues that have a real impact on businesses and communities, including ram raids.
Across London, neighbourhood crime dropped by 15.6 per cent in the last financial year – more than 40,000 fewer offences. That was largely driven by reductions in theft from people (down by 21.4 per cent), vehicle crime (down by 13.9 per cent) and personal robbery (down by 13 per cent).
This month, three men who carried out a violent street robbery in Mayfair were sentenced to prison. The trio held up a man at knifepoint to steal a £140,000 Richard Mille watch in Berkeley Square. It happened shortly before midnight on January 28 this year.
