Jewellery thieves who stole £60,000 diamond ring in Eastbourne jailed

CCTV footage showed the moment that Shabir Patel and Khaqan Raja entered a premises in Finmere Road.

Police said they asked to see three high-value items, then grabbed the ring worth an estimated £60,000 and fled.

The footage shows Raja pretending to take a phone call and leaving, before Patel snatched the ring.

They both ran into a getaway car outside and left the scene.

But thanks to work from Sussex and Surrey Police contact handlers, information was given to specially-trained officers who traced two vehicles in convoy from Lancashire.

Police said that Information had been received from a member of the public who saw the vehicles switching registration plates.

Officers from the Specialist Enforcement Unit, Roads Policing Unit, and Tactical Firearms Unit joined the operation to locate the two vehicles.

The getaway car, a Jaguar, was spotted on the A23 heading north towards Crawley at speeds of up to 120 mph, police said.

It was located by SEU officers, who alongside RPU officers were able to safely bring the vehicle to a halt on the M23 north of Crawley.

Later, a second vehicle, a VW Bora, was stopped by Surrey Police officers on the M25 heading north towards London.

Patel and Raja were arrested, and following an investigation by Eastbourne CID they were charged and remanded in custody.

At Lewes Crown Court on April 26 they were sentenced.

Raja, 36, of Roney Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, admitted driving while disqualified and theft of a gold platinum and diamond ring valued between £50,000 to £100,000.

He was jailed for a total of two years and four months.

Patel, 39, of Plane Street, Blackburn, Lancashire, admitted theft of a gold platinum and diamond ring valued between £50,000 to £100,000.

He was jailed for one year.

The court was told how the incident happened at about 1.50pm on February 9 this year.

The two men were in the premises for less than ten minutes before stealing the ring.

Crucially, a witness saw them swapping registration plates in Eastbourne, which allowed the force’s radio operators to provide vital details to roads policing officers.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Ciara Richardson said: “Khaqan and Patel thought they could get away with stealing a high value ring from Sussex.

“But thanks to information reported by the public and the fast response by officers, we were able to stop them.“With the weight of evidence they had no choice but to plead guilty.”

Sussex and Surrey Police’s Head of Roads Policing Superintendent Rachel Glenton said: “Our highly-trained officers from both forces showed exceptional skills and professionalism in this case.

“At one stage a vehicle was seen reaching speeds in excess of 120mph, which put the safety of other road users at high risk.

“But not only did officers manage to stop and arrest the two main offenders, they did so safely without any harm being caused to the offenders or to other members of the public.

“It demonstrates the excellence shown and highlights the teamwork of officers working together across both Surrey and Sussex Police.”