LONDON, UK — An immigrant from Ethiopia has been charged over the robbery of £40million (USD $60 million) worth of jewels in Britain’s biggest-ever jewelery heist.
Solomun Beyene, 24, has been charged with conspiracy to rob and possession of a firearm.
Another man, Craig Calderwood, of no fixed address, was also charged over the armed raid during which two smartly dressed men took a cab to Graff Jewellers in Mayfair before producing handguns and grabbing 43 jewels.
Both men appear before Wimbledon Magistrates Court today.
A third man has been charged in connection with the £40m raid at Graff jewellers in central London.
Two shots were fired and 43 pieces of jewelery taken during the raid
Clinton Mogg, 42, from Bournemouth, was arrested following the daylight break-in on August 6. He is accused of conspiracy to rob, Scotland Yard said.
Earlier, two men appeared in court in Wimbledon following the raid in New Bond Street. Solomun Beyene, 24, of northwest London, and Craig Calderwood, 26, of no fixed abode, were both charged with conspiracy to rob and possession of a handgun.
Detectives launched a huge manhunt for two men who were captured on CCTV. Footage showed them both on the day of the raid and also visiting the jeweler two days earlier.
A £1 million reward has been offered on behalf of Graff’s insurers for information leading to the prosecution of the robbers.
The pair are accused of undertaking the audacious robbery at the New Bond Street store on August 6. They are also charged with possessing handguns.
The two men appeared in the dock flanked by five prison officers amid heightened security.
Both Beyene and Calderwood spoke only to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth.
Calderwood, who has short straight red hair combed flat on his head, wore a long-sleeved white T-shirt.
Beyene, who wore a grey short-sleeved T-shirt and has heavily-tattooed forearms, looked briefly at his parents who sat in the public gallery.
Presiding magistrate Anne Packer remanded the two men in custody and ordered them to appear at Kingston Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on September 1.
Solicitors acting on behalf of the two alleged robbers made no representation in court. There was no application for bail.
Speaking after the hearing, defense solicitor Antonie Xavier, who represents Beyene, said his client denies any involvement in the robbery.
He said: “It is totally denied. The CCTV shows quite clearly he could not be the person. He has always denied that he was ever near there.
“This is a shot in the dark.”
A huge manhunt was launched after the audacious raid on the central London jeweler two weeks ago.
CCTV pictures of two men talking their way past security guards before robbing the shop have been beamed around the world.
The gang forced a woman member of staff to fill a bag with 43 pieces of jewellery, including earrings, necklaces and watches, worth almost £40 million.
They used a series of getaway cars and a motorcycle to escape across the capital, firing two shots in the process.
A 50-year-old man who was held last week in Ilford, east London, has been released on bail pending further inquiries.
Sources: Sky News, Telegraph.co.uk