Saunders:robber whoops w london inf surrey com

Saunders:robber whoops

w london inf
surrey comet
middsx chron
croydon adv
croy gdn
slp

Central News, Press Room, Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, LONDON, EC4.

Tel: 020 7236 0116.

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centralnews.

co.

uk
4 August 2000

A stone mason persuaded to join his uncle’s gang of ‘Rolex Raiders’ whooped with joy was he was jailed for just twelve months by an Old Bailey judge.

Jamie Saunders was 16 when he plotted to rob a Kingston branch of the jewellers Ernest Jones with relative John Saunders, 38.

The gang had already netted over pnds stlg 800,000 in exclusive watches from shops across southern England.

Armed officers had been keeping the gang under surveillance and watched as uncle, nephew and a third raider cased the Kingston target.

For some reason they aborted the raid but police closed in as the gang drove home on Bonfire Night last year.

Their car was stopped by a hail of bullets shot into the tyres and all three men were arrested.

In the boot of the car was a sawn-off shotgun and dust masks which were to be used as disguises in the raid.

John Saunders, 38 denied involvement in a series of robberies but was convicted because his distinctive bow-legged walk was picked out on CCTV cameras.

He was jailed for life.

The third man in the car, John Scott, 32, was given nine years for his lesser role in the gang’s exploits.

Jamie Saunders, of who is now 18, of Brunswick Road, Sutton, Surrey was convicted of the jury of conspiracy to rob.

He had claimed he had no idea his uncle was on a robbery mission when he got into the car.

Mr John Ryder, QC, said Saunders had lost his job as a stone mason a week before the dramatic arrest.

‘This defendant did not know the full details and the full extent of what was go on,’ Mr Ryder insisted.

Saunders, who has served eight months on remand, waved to family and friends in the public gallery as the judge told his barrister the sentence would be a short one.

‘I accept you know how close you have come to serving a lengthy custodial sentence,’ Judge Henry Blacksell, QC, told Saunders.

‘I have absolutely no doubt you would not be in the situation you found yourself had it not been for the influence of John Saunders.

‘If you behave, you will only have to serve half the twelve month sentence, less any time you have served so far.

‘

Friends and relatives applauded the judge’s decision and Saunders cheered so loudly in the cell corridor that he could be heard in court.

ends