Seven jailed over fatal armed robberies
The gang carried out a series of armed robberies across southern England
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Monday, 03, Nov 2008 02:16
Seven men who carried out a series of armed robberies across southern England have been jailed today.
The defendants, all from London, were involved in the botched robbery of a bank in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, in September which resulted in two members of the gang being killed.
The men were found guilty of conspiring to organise or execute up to 21 robberies on banks or cashbox delivery guards which netted them some £500,000.
Terence Wallace, 26, of Raynes Park, and Adrian Johnson, 28, from Streatham Hill, denied conspiracy to rob between April 2006 and September 2007, but were today jailed for 17 years at Kingston crown court.
Leroy Wilkinson, 29, from Streatham, denied the same charges and was also jailed for 12 years.
Leroy Hall and Leon McKenzie were jailed for seven years, Brian Henry for six-and-a-half years and Victor Iniodu for five years.
Wallace, Johnson, Wilkinson and Iniodu had been found guilty of conspiracy to rob following a seven-week trial at Kingston Crown Court.
The other three pleaded guilty to being part of the gang before the trial began.
During their trial, the prosecution claimed the gang undertook raids in Hampshire, Oxford, Swindon, Bristol, Bath, Cambridgeshire, Reading, Ipswich and Gloucestershire.
The court was shown phone records suggesting the gang had researched the banks prior to the raids and that Mark Nunes was the leader.
Mr Nunes was shot dead by armed police officers as he held a gun to a security guard's head outside the HSBC branch in Chandler's Ford on September 13th last year.
Andrew Markland, 36, was also shot and killed during the botched raid.