Three people who carried out a series of violent watch robberies in Barnet have been jailed for a total of 26 years.

Andre Sinclair, Ashley King and Layla DaSilva contacted six men who had listed their high-value watches for sale online between December 2019 and January 2020.

In each case DaSilva posed as the ‘buyer’ of the watch and arranged to meet the sellers at a public place in Golders Green.

At the last moment an excuse was made and the location was changed to a secluded location near to the original meeting point.

Upon arrival at the location, King and Sinclair would be lying in wait.

On each occasion, the victim was assaulted and/or threatened with a weapon before having their watches taken.

The first incident on December 11, 2019, and involved a 35-year-old man being pushed to floor before his bag, which contained a watch, was stolen. He was treated for a cut to his elbow.

Two days later, a 22-year-old man was confronted by Sinclair and King brandishing a crowbar and a knife.

No watch was stolen, with the victim suffered minor bruising.

On December 22, 2019, a 39-year-old man was punched in the face and hit in the leg with a hammer before having his watch stolen.

The next robbery did not occur until January 2, 2020, when a 25-year-old man was confronted with a firearm and had his rucksack containing his watch stolen.

Eight days later, a 28-year-old man was threatened with a firearm and punched in the face before having his watch stolen.

And then on January 16, a 29-year-old man was hit with a firearm and punched in the face before having his watch stolen.

Officers from the North West Basic Command Unit began an investigation and after reviewing who had accessed the adverts online, as well as CCTV from some of the robberies, managed to identify the three suspects.

Upon arrest, Sinclair and DaSilva’s phones were seized. Analysis showed that they had been discussing and planning the robberies before they took place.

Pictures of the stolen property were also found on their devices.

All three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery.

Andre Sinclair, 33, of South Way, Brent, was sentenced to 11 years, nine months in jail.

Ashley King, 23, of Teignmouth Road, Brent, was sentenced to nine years, six months in jail.

Layla DaSilva, 33, of South Way, Brent was sentenced to four years, nine months in jail.

Detective Constable Matt Corbin, who led the investigation, said: “Sinclair, King and DaSilva hatched a sinister plan to lure individuals to a secluded address in order to steal their high-value watches.

“They had no qualms about threatening their victims with weapons or assaulting them in order to achieve their aim.

“The sentences handed to these individuals reflect the seriousness of the crimes and we are pleased they are now behind bars for a significant amount of time and unable to cause further harm.

“We hope that this also acts as a reminder to anyone selling high-value goods online to take care when meeting with buyers and stick to public places where possible.”