Man jailed for smash-and-grab jewellery store raid

A man who was part of a moped-riding gang which robbed a jewellery store in Brent, London, with hammers and axes has been jailed for five and a half years. Lookman Shekoni, 24, of Josephine Avenue, Lambeth, had previously pleaded guilty at Harrow Crown Court on Monday, September 28 to robbery having being caught by passers-by at the scene. On Monday, September 7 at 14:10pm, four mopeds with two riders on each pulled up on the pavement outside the Jewellery Gallery shop on Kingsbury Road. Three of the suspects stayed with the vehicles while one stood outside the shop armed with an axe to scare off anyone who might try to intervene. The rest of the suspects forced their way inside the shop with a large metal ram and used hammers and axes to threaten staff members. The gang then smashed all the displays and removed the Indian and Iranian jewellery inside, placing it in large laundry bags. The robbers ran out of the shop and got back onto the mopeds, but a large crowd had gathered and members of the public began to throw various objects at the gang trying to knock them off their mopeds. The passenger of one moped - Shekoni - punched a man in the face but was detained by the crowd until police arrived and arrested him. Police said a ‘significant’ amount of jewellery was recovered from the scene and handed back to the shop owner. However, items valued at between £300,000 and £400,000 remain outstanding, with £50,000 damage caused to the premises. Detective Inspector Scott Hartley, of the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad, said: "Shekoni was pulled off his moped while trying to flee the scene by members of the public appalled at what was taking place in their community. "While we would never encourage people to get involved directly in this way, I would like to commend the brave actions of passers-by that led to Shekoni being promptly arrested. They acted with little regard for their own safety, intent on catching those who had carried out such a brazen robbery in broad daylight.” Shekoni was also sentenced on Monday, November 2 for a separate incident, a night-time burglary at an opticians in St John's Wood High Street on Friday, August 14 where £20,000 of designer glasses were stolen. He also pleaded guilty to this offence and was jailed for 36 weeks to run concurrently. Police continue to appeal for information about seven other suspects involved. Anyone with information about the remaining suspects has been urged call the Flying Squad on 020 8785 8655 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.