Five men have been convicted following an armed robbery in Solihull that resulted in the theft of IT equipment valued between £150,000 and £250,000. The incident, which occurred in March this year, involved a raid on a business premises where staff were threatened at knifepoint.
The convicted individuals are Jermaine Williams, Benjamin Need, Mark Earl, Gary Newman, and Patrick Cooke. They are scheduled to be sentenced in December at Birmingham Crown Court for their roles in the theft.
According to reports, Williams, Need, Earl, and Newman entered the business premises wearing masks and armed with knives. They proceeded to tie up a staff member and threatened them while loading a company van with valuable IT equipment, including laptops and TVs.
Thanks to quick action by police, Williams was apprehended within 10 minutes of the initial call. Extensive CCTV investigations led to the arrest of Need, Earl, and Newman three days later, resulting in the recovery of most of the stolen goods.
While four of the men were directly involved in the robbery, Cooke was convicted of handling stolen goods. Williams and Need pleaded guilty to their charges, whereas Newman, Earl, and Cooke were convicted at trial earlier this month.
Detective Inspector Mark Heard from Solihull Local Policing Area commended the officers involved in the investigation, stating, “This was a major investigation following on from what must have been a terrifying ordeal for the staff member who was present.” He added, “Hopefully news of their conviction and later sentencing will give everyone involved some comfort and reassurance that we will continue to take the strongest possible action against those responsible.”
