Smash-and-grab raider jailed over notorious £440k Rolex heist

A member of a brazen smash-and-grab gang which stole £440,000 worth of Rolex watches in one of the UK's most notorious robberies has been jailed.

Wayne Russell, 23, and five other men raided prestigious Watches of Switzerland in London's Regent Street in front of horrified shoppers in June 2018.

They drove a moped through its front doors to prevent security from locking it, before ransacking the shop.

Russell guarded the front door armed with a zombie knife so security and members of the public could not intervene while his accomplices went to work.

Three of the men armed with sledgehammers rushed into the shop after the front door was disabled and began smashing five of the display cabinets.

They managed to grab 35 Rolex watches, worth about £440,000, before making a getaway when the alarm sounded.

But a passing police patrol saw what was happening and chased the robbers, who were riding a motorbike and three mopeds, and had scrambled in different directions.

Russell jumped off and fled on foot after officers rushed towards the bike which was carrying him.

CCTV footage later revealed Russell had walked into a Five Guys restaurant in Argyll Street after taking off his gloves and dumping his jacket in a nearby bin.

He was identified and arrested in 2020 after police shared an image from the CCTV footage as part of an appeal for information.

One of the other members of the smash-and-grab gang, 34-year-old Jamie Farrell, was chased down by police at the scene.

While trying to escape, he dropped a rucksack containing 11 of the watches. A zombie knife was also later recovered in Regent Street.

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Farrell was given an eight-year prison sentence in July 2018 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of a bladed article.

Russell, of no fixed address, was sentenced to four years in prison this week after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery at Southwark Crown Court.

He was also sentenced to 16 months for possession of an offensive weapon, to run concurrently.

Det Sgt Gary Taylor of the Met Police said: “This was a brazen robbery which not only left the store significantly out of profit but also left staff fearing for their lives.

“I hope this result demonstrates our commitment to tackling violent crime and disrupting criminal gangs who think they can get away with this kind of behaviour.

"We will do everything in our power to identify those involved and bring them to justice so that they can cause no further harm on the streets of the capital.”

Only two members of the gang have so far been caught and jailed.

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