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This is the moment passers-by fled as a man set off smoke grenades in an attempt to steal £190,000 worth of jewels from London’s iconic Claridge’s Hotel.
Clad in a balaclava and crash helmet, Jay McGinty, 37, arrived the hotel in Mayfair on a Vespa scooter and set down a smoke grenade, covering a hallway in thick black smoke, before attempting to break into a jewellery cabinet with a sledgehammer in March this year.
However, the raid was thwarted when security staff held a revolving door shut, trapped McGinty inside, until police arrived.
McGinty was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to one count of aggravated burglary at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday (29 May).
