63 years in jail for jewellery raiders
ATRIO of gunmen who robbed hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of goods from a Rawtenstall jewellers have been jailed for a total of more than 60 years.
The men received a combined 63 years in prison at Minshull Street Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to rob.
Lee Tansey, 40, Anthony Gough, 37, and Christopher Reuben, 32, were pinned to six robberies, including the hold up of Janet Isherwood Jewellers, on Kay Street in July 2016.
During the raid which happened at around 9.30am, two staff members were confronted by two men donning balaclavas and brandishing a sawn off shotgun and a handgun.
They threatened them before jumping into a Chrysler used as a getaway-car and driven by a third man.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery was taken. The car was later abandoned burned out. Other robberies the group was linked to took place in Rochdale, Prestwich and Durham.
Officers from GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group carried out an investigation into several high-value armed robberies across the north of England, between July 2016 and January 2017.
Following extensive undercover surveillance work, phone and vehicle analysis, they were foiled and arrested in January 2017 while carrying out final preparations for a robbery in New Mills, Derbyshire.
The threesome carried out a bank robbery in Horden, County Durham on the morning of September 21. A Ford Mondeo on cloned plates stopped outside the branch while an ATM fill up was taking place.
Two masked men got out of the car and entered the bank armed with a crowbar and sledgeham- mer.
This time they left with thousands of pounds before jumping back into the car which was driven by another man.
Officers raided their homes and a lock-up where they discovered crucial evidence including holdalls and clothing used during the robberies, the sawn off shotgun, handgun and ammunition.
Tansey, of Innings Drive, Salford; Gough, of Black- moor Drive, Liverpool, and Reuben, of Wigan Road, Ashton- in- Makerfield, were each sentenced to 21 years in jail.
Greater Manchester Police welcomed the sentences.