A South London gangster who controlled a group responsible for a string of attacks on a cash van and jewellery stores was jailed for 12 years yesterday.

Dean Oxley, 30, recruited a group of 11 men, aged between18 and 29, to commit the violent raids that netted them £1 million. They used guns and hammers to threaten staff, including a pregnant women. Oxley from Lewisham, southeast London, was convicted of five charges of conspiracy to rob.

They hit targets in Chelsea, West London, and the Brent Cross shopping centre in North London, making off with £1,025,900.00 in valuables. Police have only been able to recover Rolex and Omega watches worth £100,000.

Kenneth Millett, for the prosecution, told Kingston Crown Court that Oxley "supervised" without actually taking part. “He was a natural born leader and orchestrated the events, waiting nearby to share out the proceeds," he said.

“The gang members were running into the jewellery shops, threatening the staff, smashing display cases with hammers and taking items of high value.”

Detective Sergeant Steve Kiely of the Met’s Flying Squad said: “Dean Oxley was an prominent and influential figure within South London organised crime circles. He controlled a violent gang of young men, directing them to commit high value commercial robberies across the capital.

“He regarded himself as untouchable, remaining at arm's length from any robbery. It has taken a lengthy and complex investigation by the Flying Squad to prove his involvement in what was a wide-scale conspiracy.”

Oxley and three others were convicted after a trial at the court. Andel Watson, 19, and Damian Gordon, 27, were each jailed for six-and-a-half years years for conspiracy to rob, and Marvin Samuels, 23, for six years on the same charge.

Eight members of the gang admitted an array of offences at an earlier hearing, including robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and firearms offences, and received jail sentences ranging from three years to seven years.

The gang’s crime spree began in April 2007 when two members robbed a cash-in-transit van at a petrol station in Norwood Hill, southeast London. The pair stole more than £5,000 before making their escape in a getaway car driven by a third member of the gang before being intercepted by police who had been tailing them.

Less than a month later, the gang struck again at Pravin Jewellers in Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

Four men entered the store and screamed at staff: “Don’t fu**ing move I have got a fu**ing gun.” They kicked open display cabinets before escaping with £200,000 worth of watches.

The gang then hit another jewellery shop in the shopping centre - Fraser Hart - just 11 days later, when six men entered wearing hoods and masks and forced staff to hand over more than £500,000 of watches.

As they fled from the shop through the shopping centre, chased by security guards, they pushed one guard down a flight of escalators, and one of the gang was caught.

A further robbery took place on July 2 when five gang members threatened staff at Ernest Jones in Chelsea with hammers. As one of the gang tried to smash open a cabinet full of Rolex watches he showered one terrified worker with glass before giving up and snatching goods from open cabinets.

As they left the store, with more than £220,000 of watches, a five-month pregnant member of staff was threatened with a chair.

The last attack happened on July 31 when officers from Barnes Flying Squad followed three of the gang before they robbed Marmalade Jewellers in Chiswick, southwest London, of £33,000 of goods. The three men were arrested shortly afterwards near the scene, along with mastermind Oxley.

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