Robber in 'fiasco' Haringey jewellery raid jailed

A bungling robber who stole jewellery worth £21,000 during a "fiasco" raid has been jailed for seven years.

Andrew Elliott, 32, was filmed on CCTV ransacking and then struggling to flee the Ital Gold shop in Green Lanes, Haringey, north London in April.

The lone shop assistant was held in a headlock and dragged to the floor before she broke free, hit a panic alarm and shut herself in a toilet.

The robbery turned into a farce when the thieves "panicked".

Elliott, from Luton, pleaded guilty to robbery earlier this year and appeared at the Old Bailey for sentencing.

The defendant and a suspect were filmed kicking the security door after they found themselves briefly trapped.

Thieves were captured on CCTV raiding a north London jewellery store

A third man managed to open the door which locked again before he too could escape.

He banged on the door and eventually a member of the public, who was unaware of what was happening, held it open for him.

Prosecutor Tayo Hassan told the court the trio made off with gold jewellery and caused £5,000 worth of damage.

Afterwards, shop assistant Valentina Ivanova said she felt "scared and shocked" and was more nervous now when dealing with customers.

Andrew Elliott had a distinctive face tattoo which he tried to hide with sunglasses in the raid

Elliott, who has previous convictions for robbery, was caught after police identified a distinctive tattoo on his neck reading "I still stand strong".

Judge Mark Dennis QC said: "This was a planned and organised robbery, however much of a fiasco the latter part of it turned out to be."

He told Elliott he was his "own worst enemy", having committed the robbery just months after being released on licence.

The judge imposed a sentence of seven years and four months in jail plus three years on extended licence.

Police have appealed to the public for help to identify two accomplices.

CCTV images show the three robbery suspects. Elliot (centre) was traced by his face tattoo