Gun-wielding Bromley robbers jailed for 30 years

London24

Gun-wielding Bromley robbers jailed for 30 years
Kate Nelson, Senior Reporter
Thursday, January 19, 2012
11:51 AM

Four armed robbers who forced shop staff to the floor with a gun have been jailed for a total of 30 years after being caught minutes after the robbery.

Clifton Thomas-BassirClifton Thomas-Bassir, 28, of Stevenson Crescent, Southwark, Caniggia Jarrett, 20, of Probyn Road, Lambeth and a 17-year-old boy from Lambeth were all found guilty of robbery and possession of a firearm at Blackfriars Crown Court.

Sederick Semo, of Dorset Road, Lambeth had previously pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a firearm.

Two of the men burst into The Money Shop in Bromley High Street on July 20 last year brandishing a gun.

Terrified staff were forced to the floor while the thieves robbed £3,000.

Sedrick SemoAfter leaving the shop, they escaped in a green convertible VW Golf with two other men.

But their car was spotted by a police car almost immediately which chased them into in the Brangbourne Estate where all four men escaped. Semo was caught moments later next to the getaway car and arrested while Jarrett was caught in a rear garden nearby.
Thomas-Bassir was arrested 40 minutes later when he phoned police to tell them his VW Golf had been stolen in a car jacking.

He said he was in Bromley Hill, a short distance from where his car had been abandoned.

Police arrested him, as his clothing matched one of the suspects.

The 17-year-old was arrested on January 4 this year after DNA taken from discarded clothing and a mobile phone identified him.

Thomas-Bassir was jailed for 10 years, Jarrett received an eight-and-a half year sentence and the 17-year-old youth was handed six years at Blackfriars Crown Court on January 9. Semo was sentenced to five-and-a-half years.

Chief Inspector Malcolm Noone from Bromley Police said: “The rapid response by uniformed officers led to the arrest of these men shortly after they had committed the crime. The combination of this rapid response and seizure of evidence ensured a thorough investigation and a successful conviction at court”.