This is Leicestershire -- Three men who armed themselves with knives and hammers and attempted to rob a post office and a bank have been jailed. Jermaine Johnson, Rizwan Ramzan and Hamza Pandor, all from Leicester, fled empty-handed from the premises and then led police on a pursuit, during which they reached speeds of up to 70mph. Johnson (25), Ramzan (20) and Pandor (18) pleaded guilty to attempting to rob an employee at a branch of Santander in Loughborough Road, Birstall, on Thursday, May 9 this year. They also admitted attempted robbery at a post office in Main Street, Ratby, on the same day. The men targeted Santander at around 12.20pm and threatened staff, who activated an emergency alarm. Outside, a member of the public saw them getting into a vehicle and wrote down part of the registration number. The gang arrived at the post office in Ratby 30 minutes later and again threatened staff with knives and hammers but again left with nothing when the postmaster and a customer chased them out. The postmaster and the customer also managed to take down the registration number and officers in the area were alerted. A police car spotted the get-away vehicle on the A46 near Groby and the pursuit began. The three men stopped the car in Somerset Drive, Glenfield and Johnson and Pandor ran off while Ramzan was arrested in the vehicle. Pandor was spotted dumping a bag with the weapons inside and was arrested by police nearby after he was detained by a member of the public who he had asked for help. Johnson was arrested a short time later. Johnson, of Montreal Road, St Matthews, was jailed for four years. Ramzan, of Eggington Street, and Pandor, of Bakewell Street, both Spinney Hills, each received three years and four months in a young offenders' institution. Police today released photographs of the three men. Detective Constable Rob Buckley, who led the investigation, said: "A large amount of credit must go to those members of the public who helped us in response to these incidents. "If it wasn't for their quick thinking and bravery in helping us apprehend these men we may well have not arrested them so quickly. "They acted with violence and disregard for the staff and customers involved including other motorists when they reached speeds of 70mph in residential area when failing to stop for police. "This is a great result and I think it shows that the fact that they pleaded guilty is a reflection of the weight of evidence against them." The three were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, August 30.
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This is Leicestershire -- Three men who armed themselves with knives and hammers and attempted to rob a post office and a bank have been jailed. Jermaine Johnson, Rizwan Ramzan and Hamza Pandor, all from Leicester, fled empty-handed from the premises and then led police on a pursuit, during which they reached speeds of up to 70mph. Johnson (25), Ramzan (20) and Pandor (18) pleaded guilty to attempting to rob an employee at a branch of Santander in Loughborough Road, Birstall, on Thursday, May 9 this year. They also admitted attempted robbery at a post office in Main Street, Ratby, on the same day. The men targeted Santander at around 12.20pm and threatened staff, who activated an emergency alarm. Outside, a member of the public saw them getting into a vehicle and wrote down part of the registration number. The gang arrived at the post office in Ratby 30 minutes later and again threatened staff with knives and hammers but again left with nothing when the postmaster and a customer chased them out. The postmaster and the customer also managed to take down the registration number and officers in the area were alerted. A police car spotted the get-away vehicle on the A46 near Groby and the pursuit began. The three men stopped the car in Somerset Drive, Glenfield and Johnson and Pandor ran off while Ramzan was arrested in the vehicle. Pandor was spotted dumping a bag with the weapons inside and was arrested by police nearby after he was detained by a member of the public who he had asked for help. Johnson was arrested a short time later. Johnson, of Montreal Road, St Matthews, was jailed for four years. Ramzan, of Eggington Street, and Pandor, of Bakewell Street, both Spinney Hills, each received three years and four months in a young offenders' institution. Police today released photographs of the three men. Detective Constable Rob Buckley, who led the investigation, said: "A large amount of credit must go to those members of the public who helped us in response to these incidents. "If it wasn't for their quick thinking and bravery in helping us apprehend these men we may well have not arrested them so quickly. "They acted with violence and disregard for the staff and customers involved including other motorists when they reached speeds of 70mph in residential area when failing to stop for police. "This is a great result and I think it shows that the fact that they pleaded guilty is a reflection of the weight of evidence against them." The three were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, August 30.
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