Gang Jailed For Nationwide Robberies In Fareham And Havant

20 November 2013, 16:24 | Updated: 20 November 2013, 16:31

Three men have today (November 20) been sentenced to a total of 45 years in jail at Winchester Crown Court for conspiring to rob banks, building societies and shops in Hampshire, Berkshire and neighbouring counties.

Simon Massey, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Complex Casework Unit (CCU) of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Wessex said:

“For six months, between August 2011 and January 2012, Stewart Last, Richard Loveridge and Andrew Smith meticulously planned the robberies of banks and building societies in Havant, Fareham and Farnborough in which a total of £240,000 cash was stolen. 

"They were also involved in a series of burglaries of shops in which large quantities of cigarettes were stolen.”

Andrew Smith was sentenced to 11years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to rob, a sentence which will be served consecutively to a sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment imposed on him in 2012 for GBH. 

Stewart Last and Richard Loveridge were each sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to rob and each received an additional three years imprisonment for conspiracy to burgle.

Mr Massey said:

“Those three men took every possible anti-detection measure. They were forensically aware, they disguised themselves in balaclavas and dark clothing, they used high performance and high value stolen cars with stolen number plates and they based their criminal activity in a rural location at Longfield Farm, near Windsor.

"However, they did not know that their night-time comings and goings were captured on CCTV over a period of two months. 

 “Considerable sums of money and property were stolen in the course of the conspiracy but we should not lose sight of the fact that the real victims of these offences were the security staff and employees who were threatened and  put in fear by the defendants.

"Thanks to a thorough investigation by the Hampshire Constabulary Major Investigation team, close cooperation with the CPS Wessex Complex Casework Unit and the dedication and skill of prosecuting counsel these dangerous offenders have been brought to justice”