A VIOLENT gang of armed robbers has been handed lengthy jail sentences after a £250,000 raid on a jewellers where a member of staff was hit with a hammer.

CCTV shows how one of the gang – Bradley Devine, of Four Acres, Quinton – posed as a customer to trick staff into opening the door at SP Green in the Jewellery Quarter.

The masked thugs then rush in before gang member Owen Richardson lashes out with a hammer at the employee.

Raiders Daijon Johnson and Jamul Pinnock-Parkes ransack the store, while the shop worker is repeatedly stamped on by Richardson.

He then turns his attentions to another member of staff as she triggers a smoke shield moments before the gang flees.

Pinnock-Parkes, Johnson and a 17-year-old gang member who tried and failed to get into the shop, were arrested after fleeing and calling for a taxi.

Their driver became suspicious when the passengers hid their faces and bent down to avoid being seen, prompting him to reverse up to a police car which was on the lookout for the robbers.

The men fled but were arrested at the scene.

Richardson and getaway driver Jermaine Davis were arrested the following day in a Renault Megane seen at the time of the raid.

The gang was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court after CCTV cameras around the city captured their movements before and after the raid, which happened on 6 January last year.

Richardson, of Frankfort Street, Newtown, was jailed for 14 years for conspiracy to rob and possession of class A drugs with intent to supply.

The 21-year-old denied the conspiracy charge, but was convicted after a jury spent just 11 minutes deliberating.

Johnson, 20, of Sherbourne Grove, Ladywood, admitted conspiracy to rob, and an unrelated robbery, and was jailed for 12 years and eight months.

Pinnock-Parkes, 20, of Manilla Road, Selly Park, admitted conspiracy to rob and was jailed for nine years and 10 months.

Davis, 27, of Icknield Port Road, Edgbaston, admitted conspiracy to rob and possession with intent to supply and escaping from lawful custody. He was jailed for 14 years and 11 months.

Devine, aged 25, was jailed for 10 years in May last year after admitting conspiracy to rob and other offences.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will be sentenced on 15 December and has admitted conspiracy rob.

While £250,000 of jewellery was taken, only £12,000 worth was recovered.

DC Mark Timmins, who led the investigation, said: “This was a really nasty robbery targeting a business in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter.

“Despite the gang members being disguised, we have used CCTV from around the city to ensure they have been brought to justice.

“The member of staff who was hit with the hammer was left really shaken and it’s by sheer luck that he wasn’t really seriously injured.

“Businesses in the area can rest assure that we will always fully investigate these crimes.

“This robbery had a considerable amount of planning, and if anyone has concerns about people acting suspiciously in the Jewellery Quarter, they can always speak to us.”