Men who posed as police to rob jewellers jailed

Two men who dressed as police officers during a botched robbery at a jewellers in Bradford have been jailed.

Jamie Beardshaw and accomplice John Smith wore police-branded vests, with the former also carrying handcuffs and a notebook when they targeted Chacha Jewellers on Great Horton Road on 23 August.

Beardshaw, 39, handcuffed a staff member's wrist and Smith, 38, tried to do the same to another worker before the alarm was raised, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Beardshaw, from Hull, was jailed for 10 years and eight months at the same court on Tuesday, with Smith, of no fixed address, handed a four-year sentence.

Outlining details of the robbery in court, prosecutor Daisy Wrigley said Beardshaw was dressed in a "black police tactical vest" and was part of a four-man gang.

The remaining two accomplices, who were dressed in civilian clothing, remain at large.

Beardshaw asked for a member of staff by name and began asking questions about a supposed robbery on Leeds Road in the city, the prosecutor told the court.

He then became flustered when suspicious staff members asked to see police identification.

A staff member pressed a panic alarm in the store, the court heard, with CCTV footage showing one of the unidentified gang members taking a tray of more than 70 gold rings.

After struggling to leave due to the shop's door-locking system, they eventually reached a getaway vehicle despite efforts of a passer-by who tried to grab hold of one of the thieves.

Both Bradshaw, of Dover Street, and Smith later pleaded guilty to robbery.

Judge Kirstie Watson said the men took part in a "well-planned commercial robbery which targeted a jewellers with the intention of stealing a very high value of goods".

The stolen rings were said to have had a wholesale value of about £10,000.

Judge Watson said Beardshaw "took a significant and leading role".

"You entered first and did all of the talking and initiated the use of handcuffs," she added.

Addressing Smith, who the court heard has autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), she told him he had "followed Mr Beardshaw's lead in putting on handcuffs to try to restrain the occupants".

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.