£3,000 HAUL.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 January 1930, Page 7

£3,000 HAUL.

LONDON, November 2,3. One of the most daring smash-and-grab raids ever known was carried out by car bandits in New Bond-street, AY Just before 10 o’clock yesterday morning. A six-cylinder tourig car stopped outside the jewellery shop of S. J. Phil lips, near the junction of Brook-street with New Bond-street. A man carrying an empty beer crate ami a hammer jumped out. He stood on the crate, j smashed the window of the shop above j tile protecting girdle, and snatched from a shell’ inside— | A diamond collet necklace of 38 brilliants. A rope of 87 graduated pearls with platinum and pearl-cluster snap; A rope of 109 pearls. In a second he had jumped from the crate on to the running-hoard of the car, which was already moving again. The car, gathering speed, roared up to the corner of Brook-street, mounted the pavement at high speed, turned and disappeared.

A few minutes after the raid the car was found abandoned in a .street off Bark-lane. The thieves chose their time and place carefully, for Brook-street pro- \ ides an easy way of escape from crowded Bhnd-street .In addition, tliov planned the robbery so that they could get away before the point duty policeman came to the corner at 10 o’clock. PERFECT GET-AWAY.

The ivudieity of the raid increased I he bandits’ safety for the Flying Squad in spite of its fast cars, had no time to get near the scene. The bandits lmd to drive rapidly for only a short distance, abandon their ear, and take an ordinary conveyance to make n perfect “get-away.” Captain Ernest Duvooi.i, brother of Sir .Joseph Duvecn, was going into the shop when the window was .smashed. He said:— 1 heard the crash and saw the man jump tfrom the window on to the ruiinI ing hoard of the car. ! was helpless, because the car gathered speed, reached the corner, lurched and skidded up on the pavement, and was gone down Brook-street. There was a cm I cart coming up Brook-street, and it may have been that the driver realising, lie would have struck if h e kept to the read in cornering, decided on his swoop across the pavement to get round. An assistant who was in the jeweller's shop when the window was smashed said: We could not see the l man who did it because there are curtains at the hack o| the show cases. The raider left behind a new coke hammer and an empty brewer’s crate. He reached over the sn-illo to the second shelf down to get the valuables. The stolen property is valued at something over £3,000.