The key facts
- Three members of the gang received a combined 14 years and 10 months in prison for five robberies with losses of about £1 million
- Police found the group within six weeks of the last robbery by matching DNA from the crime scenes
- Two more received suspended sentences for handling stolen goods
Sentence in the case of ram-raid robberies
Three men have received real prison sentences for a series of smash-and-grab robberies of expensive stores in London's Mayfair and Chelsea districts, The National reports. Over three months, the gang carried out five attacks, ramming shop windows with stolen cars: the victims included YSL, Bottega Veneta, END and Loro Piana boutiques on Bond Street and Sloane Square. The total damage and losses are estimated at £1 million (about $1.3 million).
Details of the crimes and the investigation
In December 2025, in one of the stores, the gang stole more than 105 items worth almost £385,000 — bags, clothing and shoes, including a coat valued at £30,000. The Metropolitan Police tracked the perpetrators along an 8 km route using surveillance cameras and automatic number plate recognition. Within six weeks of the last robbery, the entire group and the stolen cars were found, and the participants were identified by DNA left at the scenes. All of them are from the Islington area in north London; on Thursday, Inner London Crown Court sentenced them to a combined 14 years and 10 months in prison.
The trail led to Cornwall
The investigation led police to a shop in Cornwall, where one of the participants was selling stolen goods well below their value, yet still making thousands of pounds. In correspondence discovered by officers, the £30,000 coat featured, sold for £1,800. Ryan Brough and Max Tyson, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary on two counts, each received six years and five months. Harry Johnson, who admitted handling stolen goods, received 22 months. Two more received suspended sentences: Sonny Stringer — 22 months suspended for handling stolen goods, Olivier Ndayizeye — 36 weeks suspended for assisting an offender.
Context of the fight against street crime
Detective Will Wiggzell of the police Flying Squad called the sentences a 'significant milestone' in the investigation and noted that such robberies cause long-term damage to businesses, staff and the community. According to the publication, the police intensified the fight against crime after a series of phone and watch thefts that damaged the city's reputation and prompted warnings about safety risks for tourists. Statistics cited in the publication show a 15.6% drop in 'neighbourhood' crime in London over the last financial year — more than 40,000 offences, mainly due to thefts from the person (−21.4%), vehicle offences (−13.9%) and robberies (−13%). Earlier, in October, three men were sentenced to prison for an armed robbery in Mayfairin late January, they took a Richard Mille watch worth £140,000 from a man at knifepoint in Berkeley Square.
