A WOULD-BE ROBBER’S PLANS TO SNATCH SUPERMARKET TA

A WOULD-BE ROBBER’S PLANS TO SNATCH SUPERMARKET TAKINGS

AT GUNPOINT WERE FOILED BY A LOCAL RESIDENT.

SHARP-EYED SYBIL SIMMS WATCHED THE FURTIVE MOVEMENTS OF 45 YEAR

OLD WINSTON WILLIAMS AS HE WAITED OUTSIDE THE TOOTING STORE – AND

THEN CALLED THE POLICE, AN OLD BAILEY JURY WERE TOLD.

WILLIAMS AND AN ACCOMPLICE HAD PLANNED TO ROB SECURITY EXPRESS

MEN AFTER THEY HAD COLLECTED THE TAKINGS FROM THE SHOPPERS PARADISE

SUPERMARKET IN FURZEDOWN DRIVE LANE LAST DECEMBER, IT WAS ALLEGED

BUT THE SECURITY GUARDS WERE OVER AN HOUR LATE THAT DAY – AND

WILLIAMS WAS NABBED AS HE AND HIS PARTNER ABANDONED THEIR PLANS AND

LEFT THE SCENE, SAID MR ANTHONY LONGDEN, PROSECUTING.

FOLLOWING MRS SIMMS CALL, POLICE TOOK UP OBSERVATION OF THE TWO

MEN FROM A HOUSE IN MOYSER ROAD OPPOSITE THE SHOP.

‘BOTH MEN SEEMED TO HAVE SOMETHING CONCEALED EITHER UNDER THEIR

CLOTHES OR INSIDE CLOTHES THEY WERE CARRYING.

AFTER VARIOUS SIGNALS

BETWEEN THE TWO MEN, WILLIAMS SHOOK HIS HEAD AS IF TO CALL OFF THE

PLAN,’ SAID COUNSEL.

BUT THEN AS THE PAIR LEFT, POLICE GAVE CHASE AND FINALLY CAUGHT

UP WITH WILLIAMS – NOW DEVOID OF HIS HAT AND JACKET.

THESE WERE FOUND THE NEXT DAY IN NEARBY GRACEDALE ROAD BY POLICE

SEARCHING THE AREA WITH SNIFFER DOGS.

ALSO DISCOVERED WAS A

BALACLAVA, GLOVES – AND A .

22 CALIBRE PISTOL, THE COURT HEARD.

WILLIAMS, UNEMPLOYED, OF LESSINGHAM AVENUE, TOOTING, DENIES

CONSPIRACY TO ROB, HAVING A PISTOL AND AMMUNITION WITH INTENT TO

COMMIT AN OFFENCE AND WITHOUT A FIREARMS CERTIFICATE.

HE ALSO DENIES

HANDLING THE PISTOL KNOWING IT TO BE STOLEN.

THE TRIAL CONTINUES.