Seven men from a criminal network have appeared in court for a series of smash-and-grab burglaries targeting high-end London stores, stealing watches, art, and designer handbags worth over £100,000. The group used sledgehammers, bricks, and vehicles like a Ford Fiesta to break into shops between May and August 2025. Sentencing was adjourned to March 17 at Kingston Crown Court.
A group of seven men, identified as part of a criminal network operating near Paddington in west London, carried out five successful burglaries and two attempted ones on luxury stores from May to July 2025. The total value of stolen items, including watches, artwork, and designer goods, amounted to £146,356.
The defendants—Christopher Gibbs, 43, of Talbot Road, Bayswater; George O’Hare, 42, of Wormholt Road, Wormholt; Paul Hughes, 42, of Grendon Street, Church Street; Anthony Munday, 40, of Harrow Road, Hyde Park; Lee James McCready, 46, of Grand Junction Place, Uxbridge; Matthew Windrass, 50, of Park Crescent, Ascot; and David Rigelsford, 37, of Denmark Road, Kilburn—appeared at Kingston Crown Court on Friday. Judge Mark Nicholas Bryant-Heron KC adjourned sentencing to March 17 after hearing from counsel.
Key incidents included a daytime robbery at Suttons and Robertsons on Edgware Road, where McCready and Windrass, wearing balaclavas and carrying sledgehammers, smashed windows and stole watches and jewellery valued at a minimum of £59,930. Store manager Mr Keaney reported the incident lasted about nine minutes, with a crowd gathering outside. Munday acted as the getaway driver in a silver Jaguar.
In another case, Gibbs, O’Hare, and Hughes used a Ford Fiesta to ram the doors of a Fendi store on Sloane Street, grabbing handbags before fleeing on a motorbike and silver Mercedes. Gibbs also used a paving block to break into Clarendon Fine Art, stealing two pieces of art worth £66,500.
Prosecutor William Sneddon described the coordinated attacks. Defending Munday, Kane Sharpe noted the sledgehammers were used as tools for burglary, not weapons.
The Metropolitan Police linked the crimes through vehicle movements and thousands of hours of CCTV footage. Arrests occurred in coordinated raids on August 5, 2025, for Gibbs, McCready, Windrass, O’Hare, and Munday, with Hughes and Rigelsford charged on September 29, 2025.
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Mather of the Met’s Flying Squad stated: “We realise these attacks on luxury stores have had a significant impact on business owners and the communities around them. This is a clear message to anyone who thinks they can carry out smash-and-grab raids in London – we will identify you, we will track you down and we will bring you to justice.”
Rigelsford faced additional convictions for a hotel robbery, two car thefts, and an attempted rucksack theft. A blue Mini Cooper stolen by him was used as a getaway vehicle in a separate burglary at Phillips Auction House, where £610,500 in items were taken, though no charges have been filed for that incident.
