A Timperley man has been jailed as part of a gang responsible for a series of violent robberies and burglaries across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, including a brazen raid on an Altrincham designer goods business in which a security guard was threatened with a machete.
Anthony Watson, 38, of Broomwood Road, Timperley, was sentenced to six years in prison at Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.
He was sentenced alongside two Wythenshawe men: Junior Owen, who received eight years and two months, and James Melia, who was jailed for seven years and two months. All three pleaded guilty as prosecutors assembled what detectives described as an overwhelming case.
The gang's crimes included a raid on an Altrincham industrial premises selling designer goods, from which handbags worth £200,000 were stolen.
A security guard who responded after motion sensors triggered was threatened with a machete.
Wythenshawe men James Melia (left) and Junior Owen were also jailed
Across eight offences spanning locations including Stockport, Wilmslow, and Alderley Edge - with incidents dating back to 2021 and the majority occurring in 2023 - the gang are estimated to have stolen goods worth close to £1 million in total.
Their downfall began with a single robbery in a Cheadle car park on 21st February 2024.
A woman loading bags into her vehicle outside the John Lewis store was approached by a balaclava-wearing man brandishing a screwdriver, who demanded her £160,000 watch and £20,000 engagement ring while threatening to stab her. A second accomplice blocked her escape. The pair fled, but officers quickly identified their getaway vehicle - a stolen and cloned car.
From there, detectives embarked on a painstaking investigation, trawling CCTV footage, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) data, and other available material to reconstruct the gang's movements before and after the robbery. Phone data and digital analysis placed the suspects at the scene and corroborated the vehicle's movements.
Investigators also established that the victim had been deliberately targeted in advance - a tracking device had been secretly fitted to her car, and phone records confirmed the gang had been following her prior to the attack.
When Watson, Owen and Melia were arrested, searches of their addresses uncovered significant evidence including the tracker, stolen watches, and drugs.
Once in custody, officers examined their mobile phones and uncovered a trail linking the trio to a further seven offences across the region.
They found detailed messages in which the gang had planned their crimes - discussing how they selected victims, tracked their movements and carried out the robberies, with no apparent concern for the harm they were causing. Melia had also used his phone to research websites on which to sell stolen goods.
Two further offences involved women being targeted for their jewellery in their own homes — one at knifepoint, another in which a woman was held by her hair and forced to remove her wedding rings while her life was threatened.
Faced with the weight of evidence, all three pleaded guilty.
Detective Constable Lucy Williams of GMP's Stockport district said: "These three criminals made a living out of violently stealing other people's hard-earned belongings, being motivated by personal gain and not caring for who they threatened.
"This was a complex and comprehensive investigation, which saw extensive phone and data analysis, mapping out the three criminals and linking them to their offences. I want to pay tribute to the officers with Stockport's Neighbourhood Crime Team who have dedicated so many hours to help get today's results.
"Their crimes left people terrified for their own lives and unsafe in their own homes, and I am glad they are now behind bars for their actions.
"I hope that their victims can feel some comfort at today's result – we take reports of robberies and burglaries incredibly seriously and will do our utmost best to find those responsible."
