40 Years Behind Bars For Armed Robberies In Edinburgh And Glasgow

A gang of armed robbers who held up an RBS bank in Edinburgh and carried out a major heist at a jewellery shop in Glasgow are being jailed for a total of more than 40 years.

Jason Yendall, 30, Aaron Brannan, 23, Jason Britton, 23, stole high-end watches worth £230,000 from the Rox store in Glasgow's Argyll Arcade last September.

Britton was later unwittingly caught on a mobile phone photo wearing one of them leading to their downfall.

The trio - along with Alistair Oliver, 30, and Gordon McLay, 32, - also held up a branch of Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh's Howe Street where they stole £20,000 in October 2012.

Yendall, Brannan and Britton had earlier pled guilty to being involved in both raids.

Oliver and McLay admitted taking part in the bank robbery as well as the reset of two watches taken from the Argyll Arcade.

Yendall was locked up for 12 years and nine months, Brannan got 10 and a half years years while Britton was sentenced to five years and 10 months.

Oliver was jailed for seven and a half years and McLay sentenced to six years.

The judge said told them: "This behaviour can truly be described as serious and organised criminal conduct.

"This involved planning, determination and the calculated use of violence.

"Some of you are career criminals to which such conduct comes easily."

A number of the mob smiled and laughed as they were lead handcuffed to the cells.

Oliver and McLay knew each other from living in Wallyford, East Lothian.

McLay was previously a talented chef who had worked in Harvey Nichols in the capital.