"Footage was captured by members of the public"
Five men have been found guilty of carrying out a daylight robbery on Danyaal Jewellers, stealing jewellery worth almost £300,000.
The robbery resulted in the public filming the incident and sharing it on social media.
A stolen Toyota Hilux was driven twice into the front of the shop, which is on Birmingham’s Ladypool Road, sending glass cabinets flying and only missing the business owner’s head “by a matter of inches”.
Three masked men armed with sledgehammers went inside and began stashing jewellery in bags while the fourth man remained in the Hilux and a fifth man waved an axe at witnesses in a bid to scare them off.
Benjamin Close, prosecuting, said Danyaal Jewellers was targeted on March 3, 2022.
He said: “It took place in a busy area which you will know if you know it, in broad daylight at a little after midday.
“Jewellery stolen value approaching £300,000 which remains missing.
“Footage was captured by members of the public on mobile phones and uploaded to the internet and went viral on social media.”
Mr Close said several stolen vehicles on false plates were used during the brazen robbery including a Toyota Hilux as well as a Land Rover Discovery and Toyota Corolla which were used to block off Ladypool Road, the latter vehicle being abandoned at the scene.
Mr Close said the actual estimated value of the stolen jewellery was £292,000 and that the robbers fled the scene in the Land Rover and Toyota Hilux.
The vehicles were abandoned on King Street to get into a stolen Audi TT and BMW 420, both on false plates.
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Following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court, five men were found guilty of conspiracy to rob and having an offensive weapon.
They are:
- Justin Boylan, aged 51, of School Acre Road, Shard End.
- John Gourlay, aged 49, of Pershore Road, Selly Oak.
- Trevor Leek, aged 44, of Southgate Road, Birmingham.
- Hassan Zulfiqar, aged 26, of Kinver Croft, Birmingham.
- Arfan Latif, aged 38, of Kinver Road, Birmingham.
Gourlay previously admitted stealing the Hilux from outside a gym on Kingsbury Road on February 22, 2022, by taking the keys from the owner’s locker. He also used the owner’s bank card in a Co-op shortly afterwards.
Immediately after the robbery, he drove to the Jewellery Quarter and sold a stolen gold bangle which has since been melted down.
Gourlay also admitted fraud and converting criminal property.
Zulfiqar was caught on CCTV driving the stolen Audi and buying adhesive pads used to fix the false number plates.
Police also found tags from stolen jewellery on the sofa at Boylan’s home after the raid.
Leek was cleared of theft of a motor vehicle.
The men will be sentenced on March 13, 2023.
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