Four jailed for attempting to rob Swindon bank

Four men from Liverpool have been sentenced at Swindon Crown Court after they attempted to rob a cash delivery at a bank in West Swindon.

A jury found the four guilty of conspiracy to robbery and they were jailed on Tuesday 3 July 2018;  Craig Hurst (32) was sentenced to 14-years in prison, his brother Stephen Hurst (34) was given 13-years, Martin Hyland (33) 15-years and Stephen Westhead (35) got 14-years.  

 

The men were part of a group who planned to attack and rob a cash delivery that was due to be delivered at the HSBC bank in Westlea on 11 February 2016.  However, following a call to police from a member of the public their plan was interrupted when a patrol car arrived in the area. 

 

The would be robbers were stopped a short distance from the bank by the officers who then came under attack from Stephen Westhead wielding a sledgehammer, smashing it through the windscreen and passenger window of the patrol car.   

 

The gang then jumped in to a stolen Audi and reverse rammed the patrol car; the group then switched vehicles and headed off in a white Mercedes van.

 

Previously, Stephen Westhead pleaded guilty to threatening another person with an offensive weapon and Martin Hyland pleaded guilty to dangerously driving the Audi.

 

The Mercedes van was later picked up by police just before it reached the M5 in Gloucestershire;  it led officers on a chase of speeds of up to 100 mph before stopping; the gang then ran from the vehicle.   A short while later Stephen Westhead was found drinking a pint in the nearby Old Spot pub having just dumped clothing and a mobile phone in a cistern in the gents toilets.  The clothing was later examined and found to contain pieces of glass from the broken windscreen of the patrol vehicle.

 

Martin Hyland and the Hurst brothers were then found hiding under a nearby road bridge knee deep in the freezing River Chelt. 

 

Police were able to link mobile numbers and four stolen vehicles from the north of England used by the gang to travel to Swindon on three previous dates as part of their planning of the crime.

 

Detective Constable Mike Armishaw said:  "This was a group of villains who travelled from Liverpool to Swindon on a number of occasions to assess and plan their attack on a bank, using a number of stolen vehicles on false plates. 

 

"However, when their plan was foiled they mercilessly attacked a police car with a sledgehammer before attempting to escape across two counties before being captured.

 

"Throughout this investigation numerous members of the public have provided key evidence that has led to these convictions and I would like to thank them for their assistance.

 

"Finally, I would also like to express my thanks to my two colleagues who were sat in the patrol car and who, despite coming under a ferocious attack, managed to still pursue this gang which later led to their apprehension.”