FOUR Solihull men have been jailed after hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of computer equipment was stolen.
Jermaine Williams, Benjamin Need, Mark Earl and Gary Newman all took part in a raid on a business last March.
Now, they have been jailed for a combined 30 years for armed robbery.
West Midlands Police said during the raid, the group entered the business premises wearing masks and carrying knives.
A staff member was tied up as they stole a company van and filled it with equipment before trying to get away.
The van they stole was fitted with a tracker, so Williams was caught within 10 minutes of police being called.
The remaining members of the group were identified by officers from Solihull LPA’s investigations department, who arrested Newman, Earl and Need a few days later.
A fifth man, Patrick Cooke was not involved in the robbery itself, but was found in possession of some of the stolen goods.
Williams and Need both pleaded guilty, while Newman, Earl and Cooke were all convicted at trial.
The group were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.
Jermaine Williams, 38, of Chelmsley Wood was jailed for nine years; Benjamin Need, 33, of Smiths Wood was jailed for seven-and-a-half years; Gary Newman, 36, of Knowle was handed a seven year prison sentence and Mark Earl, 39, of Chelmsley Wood was jailed for six years.
Patrick Cook, 39, of Solihull was handed a two year prison sentence which was suspended for 12 months.
Detective Constable Emily Fowler, from Solihull Local Policing Area, said: “This was a frightening armed robbery in which a member of staff was tied up and threatened with knives.
“This shows the casual disregard of these men for the safety of the public.
“Taking these five dangerous individuals off the streets is a good result for everyone in the wider Solihull area.”
