Cash Van Robbers Jailed After High Street Heist in Medway
Violent robbery caught on tech, not CCTV
Two crooks have been locked up after attacking a security van driver during a cash delivery in Rainham, Medway. Warren Young, 36, from Gillingham, and his getaway driver Samnit Sidhu, 24, from Essex, struck on the morning of 25 September 2019.
Though CCTV failed to capture their faces, police cracked the case by tracking their getaway car and analysing their mobile phone data.
Quick police action leads to arrests
Shortly after the daring robbery, the victim reported the mugging at the local bank. Young reportedly wrestled a cash box from the driver before fleeing in a black Nissan Qashqai driven by Sidhu.
Police used ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) to spot the stolen vehicle and stopped it in Grays, Essex, at 7.20pm the same day. Sidhu was caught red-handed with drugs, scales, CS spray, and £3,000 in cash.
Evidence seals fate of duo
Officers seized Sidhu’s phones, uncovering messages between him and Young before and after the robbery, plus proof Sidhu was at the scene. Young was arrested the next day. A search of his home yielded around £10,000 in cash hidden in a basement carrier bag.
At Maidstone Crown Court on 21 November 2019, both men pleaded guilty to robbery. Young got four-and-a-half years behind bars. Sidhu, also admitting drug and weapons charges, was sentenced to five years and three months.
“Young and Sidhu thought they could get away with it,” said Detective Constable Mark Froome. “Thanks to modern tech like ANPR and mobile phone analysis, we proved their guilt quickly, ensuring they face a lengthy prison stretch.”
