TWO Belfast men have been jailed for six years for robbing a security guard of cash in transit.

William Evans and John Thompson were told they would spend three years in prison, followed by a similar period of supervised release when released from custody.

Evans, 43, of Grainne House on New Lodge Road, north of the city, and Thompson, 44, of Townsend Street, previously pleaded guilty to one count of robbery.

Belfast Crown Court heard that at 8.40am on January 26, 2021, a G4S security guard was at the Tesco Express store on Great Victoria Street in the city centre.

Evans and Thompson had parked their black Ford Focus a few steps behind the G4S security van.

Prosecuting barrister Gareth Purvis said: “The timing of the robbery was extremely brief… an almost instantaneous snatching of the cash from the hand of the G4S employee at the back.

“He was focused on the safe in the back of the van to put the money box inside.”

A police CCTV camera captured the Focus driver getting out of the car, walking into a nearby phone box and waiting for the G4S guard to leave the store before carrying out the robbery.

The robber then climbed into the passenger seat and the Focus headed for Shaftsbury Square.

Around 90 minutes later, the car was spotted on the Monagh Bypass in west Belfast, where police gave chase.

The driver was “speeding” before losing control and crashing on Upper Springfield Road.

Evans exited through the front passenger door, while Thompson exited through the rear window.

Cell site analysis indicated that the defendants’ cell phones were present at the scene of the robbery.

With a tracking device fitted to the cash box, G4S directed police to a nearby address on Monagh Drive.

Police found the empty cash box in a shed at the back and Martin Anthony Braniff, 47, who lived at the property, was found behind the house, while Keith Martin Murry, 43, of Upper Suffolk Road, from west Belfast, was found in an upstairs bedroom.

Both men had previously pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, namely £3,480 from the money box, and on Tuesday were each given two years in prison suspended for three years.

Mr Purvis confirmed to the court that none of the money had been recovered.

Between them, the four defendants have almost 400 criminal convictions.

Evans has 98 prior convictions, including robbery in 2005 and 2009, for which he received respective sentences of five years in prison and two years of probation and six years in prison and 18 months of probation.

Thompson has amassed 212 convictions with five citations for theft, 13 for fraud, along with convictions for forgery, theft and handling stolen property.

Braniff has 11 prior convictions that included felonies for aggravated burglary and receiving stolen property.

Murray has 76 previous convictions, with four citations for being equipped for burglary and seven for theft.