First jury-less trial commences

The trial of four alleged armed robbers has commenced and is the first of its kind to be held without a jury. [13 January 2010]

The Court of Appeal ruled that the case should be heard by a judge only as the danger of jury tampering was too high. This is the first major criminal trial in England and Wales to be held with no jury present. John Twomey, Peter Blake, Barry Hibberd and Glen Cameron are accused of taking part in a hold-up, described as "professionally executed", at a Heathrow warehouse in 2004. The group got away with £1.75million in various currencies.

Armed robbery - Charges denied

All four of the accused, aged between 43 and 61, deny 18 charges against them including robbery and possession of firearms. The gang used firearms to threaten members of staff, who they tied up. One staff member was shot at. They were working on the basis of inside information from those who "worked or had worked in and around Heathrow Airport."

Read more on the Independent's website.

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