Robbers ‘caught in the act’ jailed after targeting Gants Hill bank
From left: Chanel Riscosa, Basana kimbembi and Nuaka Dimena - Credit: Archant
Three robbers led police on a high speed car chase after stealing what they thought was thousands of pounds in a cash box.
The men stole the empty box from a security guard outside Barclays Bank in Beehive Lane, Gants Hill before getting away in a red Peugeot.
Police perused them to Charlie Brown Roundabout where the thugs crashed into an oncoming van resulting in two of them being too badly injured to escape.
Nuaka Dimena and Basana Kimbembi were both arrested at the scene.
The third man, Chanel Riscosa, ran from the crash and jumped over a wall while being chased by specialist police unit the Flying Squad.
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He was found crouched hiding in a shed in the grounds of a school by police dogs.
Riscosa, 30, of Palmers Green and Kimbembi, 31, of no fixed abode pleaded guilty to robbery and dangerous driving.
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Their accomplice Dimena, 29 of New North Road, Hainault pleaded guilty to robbery.
Dec Con Adam Barsby said: “The robbery happened at 10 in the morning in a busy road. Anybody outside there would have been shocked by that and concerned for their safety due to the dangerous driving used.”
Police were called to an ongoing cash-in-transit robbery outside the bank on December 21.
“It was a three week investigation that was relatively straight forward as they were caught in the actm” Mr Barsby. “They stole the cash box from the security guard but we retrieved that in the car hidden in a multi-coloured laundry bag.”
There was also a bag containing a blow touch and screwdriver which police believe the thieves were intending to use to open the plastic cash box.
Two other cars were involved in the crash and six people were injured including the three robbers.
Kimbembi was sentenced to three years in prison at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday.
Dimena and Riscosa were both sentenced to three years and nine months on September 9.
