Armed robbers raid city centre jewellery store

Aug 21 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

ARMED robbers held up a city centre jewellery store, escaping with a haul of luxury watches yesterday.

The gang, one of them armed with a gun, burst into Berry’s Jewellers in Grey Street, Newcastle, and smashed their way into a cabinet before escaping with thousands of pounds worth of luxury Cartier watches.

One robber held staff at gunpoint, while another smashed cabinets and cupboards with a claw hammer to pocket the jewellery.

It took just one minute for the three men to carry out the heist, just after 10am, shocking shoppers who gathered to watch armed police arrive at the store.

One assistant at the shop, who did not want to be named, said: “We did what we are trained to do and that is just let them take it.

“It all happened within a minute. One pointed a gun at my chest. They then used a hammer to smash the window display. They took Cartier watches – they weren’t going to take the cheaper ones from the bottom shelf.

“I’m surprisingly calm about it, but we certainly didn’t expect this to happen.”

Police arrived within 10 minutes of the raid and a cordon was put up around the building as forensic investigations were carried out.

Officers scoured the surrounding area, searching bins for evidence. Shattered glass littered the entrance to the shop and shelves lay destroyed on the floor. Displays that had survived the attack stood bare in the window.

Police carried out stop-and-search checks on people nearby, but no one has yet been arrested.

One woman, who did not want to be named, witnessed armed police officers combing the city centre for clues.

She said: “There were two big officers and they were carrying big guns with the rest that goes under the arm.

“They were big men and they had big guns. It was enough to catch my attention and make me worried.”

Police last night confirmed that a gun was used in the attack, but they were still trying to determine if it was real or an imitation.

A spokeswoman said: “It is believed three men were involved and police are investigating reports that one of the men may have been carrying a firearm, although at this stage it is not known whether the weapon was real or imitation.

“It is believed a number of watches may have been taken from the jewellers, but we are not in a position to confirm what they are at this time. No one was hurt in the incident.”

Det Insp Lee Buzzeo, of Newcastle CID, said: “The public can rest assured that officers are currently doing everything possible to find the people responsible.”

The suspects

POLICE last night issued a description of the three robbers.

The first attacker, who was holding the gun, is described as being 5ft 10in tall, of medium build with short, dirty blond hair and wearing dark jeans and a dark jacket.

He is believed to have spoken with an Eastern European accent.

A second man was described as being of medium build, between 5ft 6in and 5ft 10in tall, wearing a black jacket with white piping down the sleeves and a beige hat.

The final attacker is thought to be of medium build and wearing a dark jacket and a white baseball cap.

Anyone with information should call police on 0345 604-3043.