Police appeal following robbery at Harringay jewellers

Detectives in Harringay, London have released CCTV footage of three men they wish to trace in connection with a commercial robbery of the Italgold Jewellery store, during which a woman was attacked.

According to the Metropolitan Police, on Monday 15 April at 12:45pm, a man walked into a jewellery shop in Green Lanes, Harringay, N8 and claimed that he had a piece of jewellery that he wished to have valued.

He handed a ring to the sole female employee. As she was examining the item, the male can be seen on CCTV to put a glove on his hand. Moments later he launched an attack on the woman.

She attempted to evade her attacker by running along the back of the counter however the man was able to overpower her, forced her into a headlock and dragged her to the ground.

At that point, two further men forced entry through the door and began ransacking the shop, stealing trays of jewellery from the various display cabinets. The female employee was able to escape and seek refuge in the rear of the store.

During the raid glass cabinets were damaged and there was jewellery scattered across the floor which was trampled on and destroyed. The robbers made off with a substantial amount of jewellery and caused extensive damage to the door.

The police said the female victim who was working in the shop at the time was too afraid to speak publicly. However she told officers how the robbery had left her “shocked, stressed and very scared”. She also sustained a considerable amount of pain on her head from being forced to the ground.

As a result of the robbery, a full security review has taken place and protection has been “stepped up”.

Detective inspector Paul Ridley, from north area CID, said: “The robbers can be observed loitering outside and they deliberately targeted the lone female employee, chasing and forcing her to the ground in an incident that has left her terrified.

“Although this was a planned commercial robbery, these suspects were haphazard and disorganised in their approach and very fortunate to make good their escape as is clearly evident from the CCTV footage.”

He added: “As one of the men frantically attempted to leave, he abandoned his disguise and showed his face. He also revealed a distinctive tattoo on the right side of his neck. Due to the excellent quality of the CCTV, I am confident that someone will know at least one of these men.

“This incident has left the victim and owner of the store devastated. I am convinced that these men will have committed crimes of this nature previously and need to be stopped before they strike again.”