Town centre jewellery shop robbber who made off with £300k haul with accomplice gets three years in prison

Kane Oye, 22, of Lavender Road, near Wembley, was arrested within three days of the robbery of Bailey & Sons in Lower Kings Road, Berkhamsted.

He and a second unidentified man escaped with a haul worth £300,000. Police say they have since recovered most of the loot.

Officers rushed out to tackle the jewellery raid after a call-out at about 12.25pm on Tuesday, May 20 – but the crooks had already fled the area.

It is believed that one of the thieves used an axe to smash through the shop’s display cabinets before they fled with their haul.

The raid caused commotion in the town centre as smoke released from a Bailey & Sons security device billowed out onto the pavement outside.

Facebook users reported that the men were dressed head to toe in black and wearing balaclavas.

About half an hour after the raid, police found a white Citroen Xantia dumped uphill in Shootersway Lane, Berkhamsted.

It is believed the jewel thieves fled the area on the nearby A41 – but Det Con Jane Swift, who led the investigation into the robbery, soon caught Oye.

She said: “We are happy with the sentence imposed by the court as this was a serious incident where a number of people were made to fear for their safety because of the actions of Oye.

“Our prompt response and thorough investigation into the robbery led to the apprehension of Oye within three days and we had enough evidence to remand him in custody until he appeared at court.

“In addition to this, the vast majority of the jewellery stolen has now been recovered by officers.”

Kane Oye was sentenced to three years in prison at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday, October 9.

Anyone who believes they know who his accomplice was, or who has any other information about the robbery, should call Ms Swift on 101, quoting D2/14/396.

Alternatively people should call Crimestoppers, the independent charity, anonymously on 0800 555 111 where they may be entitled to a reward.