This is the moment a gang plundered handbags worth £40,000 after smashing their way into a London boutique during a series of ram-raids on luxury retailers.
Three men have been jailed for their part in the West End raids, while two more received suspended sentences for handling stolen goods.
Ryan Brough, 32, and Max Tyson, 26, were each sentenced to three years and four months behind bars after admitting conspiracy to burgle over the raids, which took place between November 2025 and January 2026.
Harry Johnson, 24, also admitted handling stolen goods and was jailed for 22 months.
The damage they caused to shops, in addition to the around £500,000 worth of stolen goods, amounted to more than £1million, Inner London Crown Court heard.
Dramatic CCTV footage shows a burglar in a crash helmet swiping luxury handbags from the shelves of Bottega Veneta, with a smashed-in window in the background.
Security fog pours into the room as the man flees towards the exit laden with leather goods on November 17.
Another of the burglaries, on January 23, saw the gang use a black Toyota SUV to batter through the fortified windows of Yves Saint Laurent in Old Bond Street at 3am.
CCTV footage shows the vehicle reversing into the glass several times as a moped rider keeps watch and a thief stands at the ready with a large plastic bag.
After smashing through, the Toyota nudged forward to allow access to the showroom, with the bag handler and driver rushing inside while the moped continued to circle.
Ryan Brough, 32, and 26-year-old Max Tyson, right, have each been sentenced to 40 months in prison
Security fog poured into the store as a man made off with a large haul of luxury handbags
The pair worked quickly to grab a number of luxury leather handbags worth around £30,000, and after 100 seconds fled back out onto the street.
Several passing cars slowed to inspect the scene, but moved off after being approached by the moped.
Brough and Tyson, both with previous convictions for theft and robbery, were arrested later that day by detectives from the Met’s elite Flying Squad.
The pair had targeted the same Yves Saint Laurent store using a Vauxhall Insignia last November, but abandoned the hit when they were spooked by builders at a nearby construction site.
They also reversed a white Mitsubishi SUV into Loro Piana, a luxury Italian fashion brand located a short walk away from Harrods, and stole goods worth just under £400,000 on December 16, the court heard.
Brough and Tyson, both of Islington, admitted two counts of conspiracy to burgle in relation to the five raids between November 11, 2025 and January 24, 2026.
Chef Oliver Ndayizeye, 36, had admitted encouraging or assisting an offence by providing Brough and Tyson with his Vauxhall Ingisnia. He was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months.
Sonny Stringer, 30, a thief once dubbed ‘London’s most notorious phone snatcher’, also admitted handling designer goods taken in the raids, and was sentenced to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years.
Sonny Stringer, 30, and 36-year-old Oliver Ndayizeye, centre, both admitted handling the stolen luxury goods but not to participating in the raid. Harry Johnson, 24, also admitted handling stolen goods and was jailed for 22 months
Another raid saw the gang use a black Toyota SUV to batter open the fortified display window in Old Bond Street
The gang stormed the shop on Bond Street, swiping the bags worth up to £30,000 a piece, at around 2.58am on January 23
Photographs laid bare the aftermath of the raid as the metal security shutters were severely damaged and pieces of glass were strewn across the floor
Patrick Hill, defending, told the court that after one of the raids Tyson ‘made a 600-mile round trip in a day to sell some of the stolen goods’.
He ended up paying just £1,800 into his bank account, the court heard.
Stringer admitted handling on the basis he had no involvement in the actual raids.
He was jailed for two years in 2024 after he used an e-bike to steal 24 phones in one morning.
Ndayizeye, of Islington, north London, admitted encouraging or assisting an offence by providing his Vauxhall.
Tyson and Brough waved and blew kisses to members of their family in the public gallery as they were led from the dock.
Detective Constable Will Wigzell, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said: ‘These robberies have a lasting impact on businesses, their staff and the wider community, affecting livelihoods as well as causing significant emotional and financial harm through the threats, violence and intimidation involved.
‘This organised crime group carried out a series of brazen smash-and-grab robberies across some of London’s busiest shopping districts.
‘They carefully planned their offences, using stolen vehicles and mopeds in an attempt to evade detection, but thanks to the determination and expertise of Flying Squad detectives, they were identified and brought to justice.
‘These sentences mark a significant milestone in what has been a detailed and determined investigation. I hope they demonstrate our commitment to tackling smash-and-grab robberies in London by pursuing those involved, wherever they are.’
