Self-locking door traps bungling robbers inside jewellery shop

‘These suspects were haphazard and disorganised in their approach and very fortunate to make good their escape’

A bungling robber got trapped inside a jewellery shop by a self-locking door – and only escaped when an unsuspecting member of the public opened it from the outside.

Police have released clear CCTV footage of the bizarre raid at a shop in Green Lanes, Haringey, north London, as they appeal for information about the three thieves.

The clip shows a man in a blue puffa jacket, sunglasses and a cap standing in the shop doorway before walking up to the counter and handing over a piece of jewellery, claiming he wants it to be valued.

As a lone female worker inspects it, the man turns away and puts a black glove on before turning around and forcing her into a headlock in a “terrifying” attack that police say left the woman in a state of shock.

Meanwhile a second man, wearing a dark jacket and hat with a hood up, and a third man, with a goatee, hat and sunglasses, burst into the shop.

In the footage,+ the first man is seen forcing the woman into a headlock as the others snatch jewellery from the display cabinets.

The worker is then seen running to the back of the store to hide in another room.

One of the men seizes his chance to flee and manages to open the front door with brute force and run off with his loot.

But, not realising a trigger switch needs to be activated to open the door, he lets it close behind him trapping his two accomplices inside.

The CCTV footage shows the two remaining men frantically trying to free themselves.

Eventually, the first man in the blue jacket hits the release button and his accomplice manages to get out – but lets the door close behind him, trapping his friend once again.

The final robber is left running back and forth in panic and banging on the shop door for help before an oblivious member of the public opens the door, allowing him to escape.

The raid took place at about 12.45pm on 15 April and lasted about three minutes.

Police say protection has been stepped up at the jewellery shop as a result of the robbery.

Detective Inspector Paul Ridley, from the Metropolitan Police’s North Area CID, said: “Although this was a planned commercial robbery, these suspects were haphazard and disorganised in their approach and very fortunate to make good their escape as is clearly evident from the CCTV footage.

“As one of the men frantically attempted to leave, he abandoned his disguise and showed his face. He also revealed a distinctive tattoo on the right side of his neck.

“Due to the excellent quality of the CCTV, I am confident that someone will know at least one of these men.

“This incident has left the victim and owner of the store devastated. I am convinced that these men will have committed crimes of this nature previously and need to be stopped before they strike again.”

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Anyone with information should contact police by calling 101 quoting CAD 3266 of 15 April, or tweeting @MetCC.

Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.