TWO men from Halesowen and Rowley Regis were among members of an armed robbery gang jailed after a spate of violent raids on businesses across the West Midlands.

The gang, armed with hammers and knives, struck five times at firms, including arcades and a travel agent, making off with thousands of pounds after threatening and attacking staff.

Police called the incidents “an appalling series of robberies” and today the gang members were jailed for a combined 54 years.

The gang first struck on November 20, 2022, at Shipley’s arcade on West Bromwich High Street.

Three masked men wielding hammers and knives stormed in at around 10.20am, threatening customers and staff and demanding safes and cash machines were opened.

One staff member was grabbed by the throat by a gang member and another member of staff had what he thought was a knife pressed into his back.

The gang fled with thousands of pounds.

On December 2 that year, three men entered Buzz Bingo on Kingsbury Road in Erdington, again armed with hammers and knives and threatening staff and customers and demanding to have the safe opened.

When staff were unable to comply, the manager was attacked and the gang fled in a stolen car with money from a cash machine.

On December 20 that year, staff at Cashino on Bull Street, Birmingham, were threatened by three armed men who held them hostage inside for an hour waiting for a safe’s time lock to expire before fleeing with cash in the same stolen car.

The gang struck again at Co-op Travel on Union Street, Wednesbury, on April 22 last year, stealing thousands of pounds and fleeing in a stolen Ford Focus, and again on June 9 at Cash Converters on Hawthorn Road, Kingstanding, where – armed with knives and an axe - they stole takings.

The gang was eventually arrested on July 19 last year as part of Operation Target – a police crackdown on serious and organised crime in the region.

Aaron Day, aged 36, of Charles Avenue, Rowley Regis, and Jordell Duquesney, aged 26, of Spies Lane, Halesowen, admitted conspiracy to rob, as did Liam Bell, aged 28, of Monmouth Drive, West Bromwich, and Richard Gray, aged 42, of Holliday Street, Birmingham.

Today (Tuesday January 9) at Birmingham Crown Court, Day and Duquesney, who were arrested at Day’s home, were both jailed for 14 years.

Bell was also sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Gray was jailed for 12 years and nine months.

DC John Marsh, from the West Midlands Police Major Crime Proactive Unit, said: “This was an appalling series of robberies, with violence used and threatened against people going about their business.

“The CCTV shows how weapons were brandished and people were held hostage and marched around and as the gang stole from businesses around the region.

“It’s had a lasting impact on these victims, who were left terrified but thankfully not seriously injured.

“This was a major investigation incorporating a whole host of techniques, which has resulted in these dangerous men being behind bars today.”