Daring London Jewel Raiders

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 23, 28 January 1939, Page 5 (Supplement)

Daring London Jewel Raiders

SCOTLAND YARD detectives are seeking the men who have s just carried out one of the most daring raids on a jeweller's shop 1 ever recorded in crime history. 1 The gang attacked the jeweller's chief clerk while on his way home, robbed him of his keys, and bound and blind- ° folded him. Then, while he was still a r captive, they robbed the jeweller's safe ( of gems worth nearly £20,000. t The experiences of the victim of the attack while a prisoner in the hands i of the jewel gang were described in a 1 vivid interview. The story of the robbery beams when Mr. Leslie Coote left the premises of Messrs. Andre Downes and Company, Limited, manufacturing jewellers and setters, of Marshall Street. Soho. where lie was employed as chief clerk, to return to his home in Tollington Park, North London. In his pocket were the keys of the shop, the inner oflice dr.or, ami the safe, where the firm's valuable stock of jewellery was kept at nijiht. Mr. Coote was still too ill and shaken to see anybody, but this was the dramatic story he told his only brother. "Leslie said that he arrived at tlhi end of Scarborough Road, where we live, abo lit p.m., which was much later than usual," the brother said. "Suddenly lie was attacked by four men and hit on the head with something pretty heavy. He doesn't know what it was, but his head is still swathed in bandages, "Then he was bundled into a car, his arms aiul legs were bound with rope, and a cloth was put over his head so that he could not see where lie was going. "The keys of the shop were taken from him. and also his wallet, in which he had between £S and £10. "He was in the car for about two hours with a man sitting on either side of him. "He could neither see nor move, hut he could hear, and as far as he can gather the car was driven into some place—whether it was a garage or not lie has no idea—where it was stopped for some time. "He has no idea where the ear went or how many men left it. He thinks two may have left and may have had another car in which they went to Marshall Street. "The next thing was that the car was started again. After a time it slowed down, my brother's bonds were taken off. and he was pushed out into the gutter near St. Paul's Road, Canonbury. "By the time he regained his feet the car had gone too far for him to identify it, "Although severely shaken he staggered to the nearest telephone kiosk and put through a call to Scotland Yard."

Flying Squad cars were rushed to ilarshall Street. Detectives examined the door leading to Messrs. Dowries' premises ou the second floor, but it was locked and all a poured to be in order. Eventually they found where Mr. Downes lived in Hendon. and, in the early hours of the morning, detectives roused him from bed. He returned with the officers to open the shop—and found the sale open and completely empty. Practically every article of jewellery which the lirm had in their possession was gone. The jewellery included a diamond bracelet valued at about £.">OOO, and a larj»e quantity of genu*—emeralds, rubies and square-cut sapphires. While detectives were examining the premises for fingerprints. other officers were questioning Mr. Coote. He was badly shaken by his experience. and was unable to give any clue to the identity of liis assailants. "Leslie has been with the firm for about ]."> years." his brother said. "Mr. Downes, his employer, was a life-long friend of my father and has known Leslie since he was a child." The attack was made on Mr. Coote only a few days after he learned that he had been left £2000 under the will of his uncle, Mr. Archie Coote. Mr. Bert Zollinger, who lives in the top Hat over the premises occupied by Messrs. Downes, found policemen outside the front door when he arrived home shortly after midnight. "I took the officers upstairs," he said, "but there was no sign that anything had happened. The street door was linked, the lights were on as usual, and the door to Messrs. Downes' premises was locked. "My mother, who had arrived home from visiting my sister at Higligate about 11 o'clock, heard noises soon after she got in. She wondered what they were, and, being alarmed, locked her door. "The police told me they thought the telephone message might be a hoax, hut thay advised me to shoot the bolt in the street door. "After two o'clock they came back with Mr, Downes, and I went down and let them in. We went upstairs and Mr. Downes unlocked the door. When we went inside, we saw the safe was open. "Mr. Downes said everything had gone." ♦ * ♦ * INSPECTOR PLAYFAIR (Solution: See Page Eight.) QARABASS had left a perfect set ot his fingerprints on Dreipner's gold cigar-case. As he denied having scon Dreipner for some days, this evidence of his guilt waa conclusive.