Two men have been jailed today yesterday (13 August 2012) following an attempted smash and grab at a jewellers in Southall.

Andre Arhin-Acquaah, 21, of 55 Garrick Road, Greenford, and Leon Kane, 21, of 283 Aragon Road, Morden were sentenced at Harrow Crown Court for attempted robbery.

Kane, the getaway driver, was sentenced to 3 and a half years' imprisonment.

Arhin-Acquaah was sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment for the attempted robbery.

He was also sentenced on eight counts of supplying heroin and crack cocaine to officers during a test purchase operation in Hammersmith in November and December 2011. He pleaded guilty to these offences earlier this year.

As this was his third drugs supply conviction he was sentenced to 4 years for the supply of drugs (4 years on each count to be served concurrently); this period will be served consecutively with his attempted robbery sentence.

A 17 year old teenager had already pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and was sentenced in December 2011 to a 2 years detention and training order.

The attempted smash and grab took place on 4 October 2011. A 17-year-old from Brixton SW2, Ahrin-Acquaah and Kane travelled to Southall in Kane's car with false plates.

The teenager armed with a sledge-hammer and Arhin-Acquaah attempted to smash the window of Ramesh Jewellers, at 104 The Broadway, Southall.

When a security guard intervened, the two suspects ran across Southall Broadway and into Oswald Road. The guard giving chase saw both men get into the rear of the Ford Fiesta.

Officers from Ealing Crime Squad were in the area and saw the blue Fiesta abandoned in Beaconsfield Road and two men in dark hooded tops walking away from the car. The teenager and Ahrin-Acquaah were arrested.

Some 3 and half hours after the attempted robbery, Kane called 999 and reported that his car had been stolen during a car jacking in west London that morning. After providing a contradictory and incomplete story, he was arrested but released on bail whilst enquiries were made.

He claimed he had travelled to west London to sell his car. The car was stolen in the car-jacking as well as his Blackberry mobile phone.

In November 2011 Kane was arrested for another unrelated offence but was found to be in possession of the mobile phone he claimed was stolen in the robbery.

The teenager pleaded guilty to his part in the attempted robbery and was sentenced in December 2011 at Harrow Crown Court.

Arhin-Acquaah and Kane both entered not guilty pleas when charged and both maintained these until much later.

Arhin-Acquaah pleaded guilty at the pre-trial review on 26 June 2012. Kane pleaded guilty to attempted robbery on the day that the trial was due to start, 9 July 2012.

Sentencing for both men was adjourned until 13 August 2012.

DC Neil Webb of the North West London Flying Squad based in Finchley said: "This case demonstrates to anyone who may be tempted to take part in a smash and grab that we will trace those involved and put them before the courts."