3:10pm Thursday 11th March 2010
Three robbers who staged a £95,000 jewellery store raid face years behind bars.
They were caught when they crashed their getaway car after a high speed police chase.
More than 30 Rolex, Omega and Breitling designer watches were stolen in the raid at W Brufords in Eastbourne on May 29 last year.
Only one of the watches was recovered and a fourth man who took part in the robbery is still on the run.
Eugene Douglas, 22, Anthony McGowan, 24, and a 17-year-old youth, all from South London, were arrested after their Audi A4 getaway car crashed on the M23 near Crawley.
They leapt over the central reservation barrier dodging on-coming traffic as they tried to escape The three men were caught on the motorway and in nearby woods after tracker dogs and the Sussex Police helicopter were called in.
The raiders burst into the jewellery store in Cornfield Road, Eastbourne, shortly after it opened at 9.30am on May 29.
Manager John Burgess was sent flying as the gang used hammers to smash their way into display cabinets to grab handfuls of watches.
Terrified customers cowered under desks and chairs before Mr Burgess was able to usher them and his staff into a security office and set off the alarm.
The robbers were sprayed with fluorescent liquid from the store's security system as they fled.
Passers-by took pictures of them as they ran to a waiting VW Golf which was driven off at high speed by Douglas.
They dumped the VW nearby and got into an Audi which was tracked by police cameras as it drove along the A27 and then onto the A23 towards London.
It crashed as it weaved in and out of traffic on the M23 at Pease Pottage, hitting a police car and the central barrier.
The three raiders admitted their parts in the robbery but denied handling stolen goods - the two cars used in the robbery.
They were found guilty after a three week trial at Brighton Crown Court and were remanded in custody until they are sentenced on April 23.
Aaron King, 19, of Thornton Heath, Surrey, was cleared of robbery after telling the jury he was left on Eastbourne seafront by the others who said they would come back for him.
He said he had travelled down from London with them but had no idea they were planning a robbery.
He admitted having a knife that police found in his jacket but said he had picked up in the street while waiting for the others to return. He will be sentenced for having the weapon at a later date.
Sergeant Dave Tye, of Eastbourne CID, said: “We made these arrests within hours as a result of swift police work.
“This serves as a reminder to potential offenders from far and near that Sussex is not a soft target and we will tirelessly pursue those responsible.”
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