A WOULD-BE ROBBER, CAUGHT WITH HIS TROUSERS DOWN W

A WOULD-BE ROBBER, CAUGHT WITH HIS TROUSERS DOWN WHEN POLICE
GOT WIND OF AN ARMED RAID, WAS JAILED FOR SIX YEARS BY AN OLD BAILEY
JUDGE ON FRIDAY.

ONE OF HIS PARTNERS RECEIVED ELEVEN YEARS AND TEN MONTHS FOR HIS

PART IN THE CONSPIRACY ON NOVEMBER 4 LAST YEAR.

A THIRD MAN IS ON THE

RUN AFTER ESCAPING FROM PENTONVILLE PRISON.

JOHN WATTS, 23, AND KEVIN JONES, 24, WERE ARRESTED AFTER A
POLICE SURVEILLANCE ON THE HOUSE IN BARCLAY ROAD, LEYTONSTONE,

WHERE THEY HATCHED THEIR PLAN.

PROSECUTOR JOHN WILLIAMS TOLD THE COURT: ‘THE CROWN CANNOT SAY
FOR CERTAIN WHO WAS TO BE ROBBED.

BUT THERE CERTAINLY WAS TO BE A
ROBBERY.

‘
HE ADDED: ‘IT WAS NIPPED IN THE BUD BY SOME EXCELLENT POLICE
WORK.

‘
JONES WAS CAUGHT WITH ANOTHER MAN AS THEY WERE TRAVELLING IN A

STOLEN CAR LOADED WITH ‘THE PARAPHERNALIA TO COMMIT A ROBBERY’ – A

SAWN-OFF SHOTGUN, A REVOLVER, AMMUNITION AND A MASK.

WATTS TRIED TO ESCAPE WHEN OFFICERS SPOTTED HIM LEAVING THE
HOUSE.

BUT, SAID MR WILLIAMS, ‘HE WAS EVENTUALLY STOPPED IN AN
ALLEYWAY NEARBY, PULLING HIS TROUSERS DOWN.

‘
COUNSEL ADDED: ‘HE HAD SOME RUNNING SHORTS UNDERNDEATH AND A
RUNNING VEST.

‘
A SEARCH OF THE HOUSE REVEALED A BOTTLE CONTAINING

AMMONIA, HANDCUFFS, A COSH AND MORE AMMUNITION.

JONES, UNEMPLOYED, OF DOUGLAS ROAD, WELLING, KENT, PLEADED
GUILTY TO CONSPIRACY TO ROB, HAVING A FIREARM WITH INTENT TO COMMIT

AN INDICTABLE OFFENCE AND HAVING FIREARMS AND AMMUNTITION IN A PUBLIC

PLACE.

JAILING JONES FOR A TOTAL OF ELEVEN YEARS AND TEN MONTHS JUDGE
COOMBE TOLD HIM ‘THIS WAS A VERY GRAVE CRIME INDEED.

‘
WATTS, UNEMPLOYED AND OF NO FIXED ADDRESS, DENIED EVERYTHING.

HE

WAS ACQUITTED BY A JURY OF THE FIREARMS CHARGES BUT CONVICTED OF
CONSPIRACY TO ROB.

COMMENTED THE JUDGE: ‘WHEN YOU KNEW THAT FIREARMS WERE
CONTEMPLATED YOU WITHDREW.

‘
HE JAILED WATTS FOR A TOTAL OF SIX YEARS.

THE COURT HEARD THAT THE THIRD MAN ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IS STILL

ON THE RUN.

ENDS.