Jewellery shop robbers only got away with packed lunches

THREE thieves mugged the owners of a jewellery shop only to discover they had made off with the shopkeepers’ packed lunches.

The trio thought they had planned a “sophisticated” heist, but came away with just a Tupperware box and some sandwiches.

They raided the husband and wife owners of a jewellery store as the couple closed the business for the night.

Suspecting the bags the pair were carrying contained high-value jewellery, Qasim Hussain, 28, Hassan Mahmood, 26, and Naheem Hussain, 27, attacked the couple.

They struck outside the shop premises in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and punched the man in the face before fleeing with the holdalls. But the bag only contained groceries and a lunch box, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Jailing the three men for a combined total of 21 years, Judge Tom Bayliss QC said: “In the event you came away with virtually nothing but Tupperware and sandwiches.

“It was a professionally planned, commercial robbery carried out with a degree of sophistication, but ultimately gaining you nothing but your convictions.”

During the trial, a jury heard how the men had driven to Halifax, West Yorkshire, two days before the incident and stole a car that they used in the robbery.

The vehicle was caught on CCTV a day before the attack as they carried out a reconnaissance mission.

Mahmood, a medical sciences student, provided the balaclavas and arranged for the vehicle and other evidence to be torched after the raid.

They set fire to the car, but firemen managed to put out the blaze and recover the balaclavas. DNA evidence was also found. The three were found guilty of robbery, assault with intent to rob and theft after a trial.

Qasim Hussain and Mahmood were both jailed for nine years, while Naheem Hussain was jailed for three years.

‘It was a professionally planned robbery, but gained you nothing but your convictions’