POLICE today welcomed the sentence of five men from the West Midlands following an armed robbery at a jewellers in Nelson.
Umayr Ahmed (20), Khazeer Ali (19), Shazan Ellahi (21), Amer Haider (19) and Imran Zamir (19) were sentenced to a total of 30 years in custody.
The City of Gold jewellers in Manchester Road, Nelson, was attacked by the gang around 3 p.m. on Friday, March 16th.
Three masked men ran towards the shop front doors armed with a sledge hammer, machete and axe while a fourth man waited outside in a green Citroen vehicle. The men smashed their way into the store’s vestibule area however heavy security doors prevented them from entering further into the shop floor itself. The attackers fled empty handed in the vehicle which was found abandoned a short distance away. The four men then entered a second vehicle waiting nearby with a fifth man already inside.
Police officers, including detectives from Pennine’s CID department, attended the area and quickly identified the second vehicle. This was circulated to neighbouring forces and, within an hour, the vehicle was being pursued by specialist officers in Greater Manchester. The men were arrested after trying to abandon the vehicle in Manchester,
Driver Ellahi had mounted the pavement in the get-away car, narrowly missing a mother, her six-year-old daughter and baby. All five were subsequently charged with robbery and appeared before Pennine magistrates who remanded them into custody.
Det. Sgt Charlie Haynes, who led the investigation, is pleased with the sentence. “This significant sentence is welcomed by all of the officers who worked on this case. A considerable amount of time was committed to this investigation, particularly by DC Richie Hall who collated the evidence from across various forces.
“I hope this sentence sends out a clear message that we will continue to work with other police forces and agencies to disrupt organised crime groups.
“Those that use threats and violence to steal from others, whether business or personal property, need to be clear that sooner or later they will be caught and face significant sentences.”
Ahmed, Ali, Haider and Zamir were each sentenced to six years in custody. Ellahi, the oldest of the group, was sentenced to six years along with 15 months for the dangerous driving.