'Firefighter' robbery gang boss gets 18 years
The mastermind behind a team of robbers who dressed up as firefighters to hold up shopkeepers at gunpoint has been jailed for 18 years.
Darren Lloyd, 35, led the gang who repeatedly raided security van deliveries in east London using stolen cars with false number plates.
The robbers, who included a former police officer, were being watched by Flying Squad detectives as they staked out targets during the summer and autumn of 2010. By December, the gang changed strategy and deployed a robber inside shops, dressed as a firefighter to gain access to safes.
Heavy cocaine user Lloyd carried out eight separate raids, netting at least £43,000, while several other planned thefts were cancelled at short notice, the Old Bailey heard.
He recruited London fireman Russell Williams, 39, to supply a uniform to ex-police officer Gary Griffiths, 42, who armed himself with a pistol.
Lloyd was arrested in December 2010 as he clambered from the wreckage of his getaway car which crashed during a police chase. He was convicted of 13 counts of conspiracy to rob and four counts of having an imitation firearm with intent.
Sentencing him, Judge David Paget QC told the Dagenham man his crimes had demonstrated "sophisticated planning and persistent offending".
Griffiths, Joshua McEvilley, Ben Garforth, Jason Stacey and Peter Henderson all admitted their involvement in the conspiracy, while Williams pleaded guilty to assisting an offender. They will be sentenced later.
