May 2012

Three men have been jailed for more than 16 years after carrying out a cash-in-transit robbery in Southwark, South London.

In the first case of its kind, prosecution evidence included samples of SmartWater forensic solution from a G4S ‘glue’ cashbox. When forcibly opened the cashbox’s security system releases a solution that binds the banknotes together rendering them worthless whilst at the same time marking them with SmartWater to forensically link the notes to the cashbox.

Appearing at the Old Bailey, Daniel Collins (28) was sentenced to six years in prison, whist his accomplice Brian Ocaya (28) was jailed for six years, ten months. A third man, Baffour Amponsah (25), pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and was jailed for four years and two months.

The Court heard that a G4S worker was delivering cash to a Lloyds TSB bank in Southwark Park Road, when he was approached from behind by a suspect who knocked him to the ground and made off with the cashbox.  Less than an hour later a witness saw five men, including Collins, Amponsah and Ocaya get out of a white transit van in a nearby car park. Ocaya was then seen to take the cashbox from the back of the van and place it on the ground.

As the men attempted to force open the cashbox they activated the glue and forensic marking systems, sticking all the notes together. As the gang tried in vain to access the money, plain-clothes police officers swooped in and arrested Amponsah and Ocaya at the scene. Collins was arrested several months later following a police investigation.

Samples of the ‘glue’ staining found on the suspect’s clothing were sent to SmartWater’s laboratories and positively identified as coming from the stolen cashbox.

Detective Superintendent Nick Stevens, from the Flying Squad, said: "This is a fantastic result. The conviction should assist in deterring other criminals who think committing cash in transit robberies are a quick and easy way to get cash."