BANDITS’ £15,000 HAUL

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 July 1933, Page 9

BANDITS’ £15,000 HAUL

IN HEART OF LONDON. LONDON, May 24. Motor bandits of the modern Dick Turpin type attacked a Hatton Garden merchant while he was driving his car in St. James’s-square, S.W.. at noon yesterday, and robbed him of an attache case containing £15,000 worth of jewels. The crime had been so carefully planned and was executed so swiftly that although scores of pedestrians and other motorists were in the square at the time the bandits raced away in their car before a hue and cry could be raised. The victim of this audacious robbery was Mr Harold Landsberg, a member of an old-established firm of dealers in precious stonels. of Hattongarden, E.C.

“I was driving alone in my saloon car," Mr Landsberg explained to a representative of the “Daily Telegraph,” and I had turned into St. James’s square, from Pallmall when a large blue car suddenly pulled across my bonnet, and I had to put lhe brakes hard on to avoid a collision.

“At that instant two men ran across the road. One thrust his hand.

through tho open window and forced my head back by jabbing me under the chin.. Simultaneously, a second man opened the door on the other side and snatched away my attache case, which was on the seat beside me. “Both men then jumped into the blue car, which drove rapidly across St. James’s-square and down Charlesstreet.” The stolen jewels consist of platinum watches, gold and diamond, rings, brooches, bracelets, necklaces set with various preciotls stones, and a number of loose diamonds and pearls.