A sledgehammer-wielding burglar who used smoke grenades in an attempt to steal jewels worth £190,000 from Claridge’s Hotel in London has been jailed.
Jay McGinty, 37, pulled the pins out of the smoke grenades after arriving at the Mayfair hotel riding pillion on a Vespa scooter in March last year, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
CCTV showed McGinty, of no fixed abode, entering Claridge’s through the revolving doors at the side entrance on Davies Street and placing the smoking grenades in the hallway.
He then used a sledgehammer to smash a display case containing several jewellery items as dark smoke billowed out around him.
McGinty, who was wearing a balaclava and a crash helmet, was later detained by hotel security staff, who waited with him until police arrived.
He was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment on Thursday after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary at Southwark Crown Court, the CPS said.
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Monica Oluwole, senior crown prosecutor at the CPS, said: “Jay McGinty tried to use a smokescreen to cover his brazen attempt to steal highly valued items of jewellery.
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“He was caught red-handed thanks to the quick actions of the hotel security and staff who prevented him from escaping and called the police.
“This heist, although it had all the hallmarks of planning and reconnaissance work, didn’t work, and we were able to make sure he was brought to justice.”
