Seven men jailed for 52 years for conspiracy to commit armed robbery
Seven men have been jailed for a total of 52 years after admitting armed robbery offences at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
All seven pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery and were given the following sentences:
Waheed Zaman, 31, Great Barr – 10 years in prison
Larry Barnett, 26 years-old from Erdington – six years in prison
Lewis Richards, 22 years-old from Kingstanding – six and a half years in prison
Qaiser Rashid, 27 years-old from Walsall – five years in prison
Levi Melbourne, 24 years-old from Aldridge – six and a half years in prison
Imran Zaman, 23 years-old from Aldridge – nine years in prison
Ryan Jones, 22 years-old from Shelfield, Walsall – nine years in prison
The group carried out robberies at jewellers in October, including Laxmi Jewellers in Walsall and CNW Jewellers in Kinver.
They also robbed a number of pubs in November, including The Church Tavern in Perry Barr and William Hill bookmakers in Kingstanding.
The team committed car-key burglaries in the region and used stolen vehicles for their raids.
Officers from West Midlands Police worked with Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia Police to carry out a number of warrants at addresses believed to be linked to serious and organised crime.
During a search of the addresses, a quantity of cannabis was recovered, £10,000 in cash, suspected stolen vehicles and evidence linked to a number of serious offences.