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Scooter gang shop raider sent to jail
‘Sophisticated’ smash-and-grab burglar who hit upmarket Mayfair stores gets 26 months
A MEMBER of an infamous scooter gang who stole thousands of pounds of designer goods and handbags in late-night smash-and-grab raids across central London has been jailed for 26 months.
Mathew Pitt, 24, from Islington, was part of a gang who raided the Mulberry and Louis Vuitton shops in Mayfair, escaping with a haul of £27,000, Southwark Crown Court heard this week.
Mr Pitt was caught when police raided his flat, discovering £19,000 of stolen goods, after their suspicions were aroused when they spotted him using a designer key ring lifted from one of the stores.
Prosecuting, Nick Mather told the court: “This defendant is a sophisticated, professional burglar. He is part of a gang who have been responsible for a significant number of raids in the West End.
“They were deliberately targeting shops with high value, desirable consumer goods.”
The court heard how the gang used sledgehammers to smash into the stores in the middle of the night, grabbing as much loot they could lay their hands on and making a swift getaway on a fleet of mopeds.
It is believed the luxury handbags, some of which sell upwards of £1,000, were sold on the black market.
Mr Pitt admitted raiding the Mulberry store in New Bond Street in front of numerous shoppers. Mr Mather said: “It was also captured on CCTV but it was impossible to identify who was involved as they were wearing motorcycle helmets.”
Less than an hour after the first raid on July 2 last year, Mr Pitt, who is the only member of the gang to be caught so far, was seen tending to his moped in the Western Rise estate in Islington.
Police found a car parked close by, where they discovered a bounty of handbags, as well as three helmets, clothing and a sledgehammer.
Four months later, on November 11, Mr Pitt and his crew ransacked the Louis Vuitton store in the Royal Exchange.
Passing sentence on Tuesday Judge John Price said: “These were planned burglaries. These are high-value goods and you knew they were high value. The loss to the shops was really considerable. It is a considerable sentence for a young man but you realise why that had to be passed.”
On Tuesday another smash-and-grab gang struck Anya Hindmarch’s shop in New Bond Street, stealing expensive handbags. |
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