Two deny stealing UAE family’s £2m holiday cash

Published Wednesday, December 14, 2011

By Staff

A gang of three armed with guns stole a UAE family’s £2 million (Dh11.36m) holiday spending money as it was being loaded into the boot of a car, a UK court heard.

The worker, AS, told Isleworth Crown Court that he was held at gunpoint on the afternoon of June 24 as he withdrew two suitcases containing the amount in cash for visiting members of a UAE family.

He said the amount was withdrawn from the Knightsbridge branch of Emirates NBD for spending by members of the family on holiday in the UK.

AS said that as he was loading the suitcases, he heard a voice telling him to ‘Put the cases down or I’ll shoot you in the face.’ While at first he thought someone was joking with him, he soon realised that the robbers were serious when he was told to do the same the second time around, and when he was that the person ordering him was holding a gun in his hand.

He described the man as Middle Eastern in appearance but with an English accent.

AS said the man then shouted for his accomplice, a black man, and told AS and the bank staff accompanying AS to the car: ‘Run to the shop or I’ll shoot you.’ Prosecutor Alexandra Felix said minutes after the robbers got away officers from the diplomatic protection group were radioed.

While two of the three robbers were nabbed by the police the same day, and the money recovered in full, the third person, the one who held AS at gunpoint, has not been traced so far. Two of the accused, TM, 46, and JH, 36, denied charges of robbery and having a firearm with intent.

A gun, a 9mm self-loading pistol which was equipped to fire, was found by a local resident in a flowerpot the following day.

The trial continues.

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