Blog

• Andrew Measor, 51, claimed the robbers handcuffed him behind the wheel of their truck.
• He was found guilty after bragging to friends that he was ‘exploiting’, the court heard
• Footage shows masked robbers throwing clothing bags filled with cash into a van

This is the shocking moment masked robbers stole £920,000 from a security van during a staged mugging.

The footage is revealed as Andrew Measor, 51, the driver of the ‘inside man’ who handcuffed himself to his wheel, he has been incarcerated for almost five years.

Measor claimed that the robbers handcuffed him behind the wheel of their truck and that he only managed to raise the alarm by punching the number with his nose.

But he was found guilty after he was caught bragging about faking his stress-related illness after the fake mugging, and bragging to friends that he was ‘exploding’, the Southwark crown court heard.

Footage shows masked robbers stopping and getting out of the van before hiding laundry bags filled with banknotes in the back of their vehicle.

They then look around warily before getting back into the white van and speeding away.

Measor was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice on February 21 of this year.

Stefanos Cantaris, 40, who was ‘in charge and pulling the strings’, previously admitted to conspiracy to steal and was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Cantaris allegedly spent a fortune on designer watches and vacations around the world, but Measor claimed he never saw any of the money.

Both were acquitted by the jury of conspiracy to conceal or transfer criminal property.

Five others were cleared of their involvement in the plot, following a six-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Measor left the warehouse in Dagenham on December 30, 2021 with £920,000 in banknotes and £14,660 in coins in his van, the court heard.

When the van reached Friary Lane, Ilford, Measor placed shopping bags filled with cash in the van’s airlock.

A white Vauxhall Combo van pulled up and two men got out to collect the bags.

Measor then drove his truck to Oak Lane and handcuffed himself behind the wheel.

Two hours later, Measor called the landline number for Loomis’s warehouse in Dagenham.

He said he had been robbed at 5:00 am that morning, when a man approached him with a gun and said: ‘I know everything that happens, just do what I tell you and everything will be fine.’

Measor said he was handcuffed behind the wheel of his truck and had tried to get bystanders to help him, but no one had paid attention.

“He explained that he had to use his nose to dial the number,” prosecutor Charlotte Hole said.

“He explained that the thieves had given him bags to put the money in and then he had passed the bags to them.”

Measor appeared calm after the incident, but claimed he had post-traumatic stress disorder and told Loomis he needed time off, the court heard.

“It appears that he is claiming that he was traumatized by the events that occurred,” Ms Hole said.

‘If this had been a genuine theft, of course it would be to be expected.

“He told a friend that he had been taken sick from work due to PTSD, later adding that he was ‘losing free time’.

In another conversation with someone who appeared to have been a colleague at Loomis, he discussed the police investigation and speculated that the police might think he was involved.

He then commented, “I was just starting to settle the compensation claim…apparently I get more if it goes to court…more stress etc. June 13th still milking…”.

In another conversation, he went back to talking about ‘milking the f******’ and told the person he was communicating with to keep an eye out for any jobs available to him.

He also told them it was “definitely an inside job.”

Cantaris met with Measor several times before the raid, and phone and CCTV evidence linked the others to them, the court heard.

Sentencing the couple today, Judge Dafna Spiro told Measor: ‘It wasn’t a ‘tiger kidnapping’ or robbery like you told the police.

‘It was a well planned, sophisticated and highly orchestrated event that you were planning, supervising and participating.

It was made to look like a robbery, but the jury found that the two of them were in it together on the instructions of Mr. Cantaris.

‘When you left work at around 5am that morning, a man in a latex mask had been outside your door and threatened you.

Threats were said to be carried out if you didn’t give them money.

Judge Spiro told Cantaris: ‘You were in charge and you pulled the strings.

“Police investigators have identified in his account trips to Dubai where he spent £3,099 and purchases of Rolex watches.”

Other exotic locations that Cantaris visited included Colombia, Morocco, Ibiza, Portugal and Albania.

‘These spending patterns are not those of someone who is struggling to make ends meet.

‘The lifestyle described is completely inconsistent with someone who is struggling financially.

‘Your bankruptcy notice only shows that there is no legitimate source of income.

Mr. Measor is not an angel, but he, like others, was brought and enchanted by you. I accept that you feel ashamed and are reconciled with your destiny.

To Measor, Judge Spiro was told: ‘You were, as I have been told, ‘exploiting’ him with your employers. The £930,000 was never recovered.

You, Mr. Measor, did not return to work. You did not cooperate and took advantage of the goodwill and systems that were there to take care of people with their well being.

Mr. Ponte has described you as a weak-willed man, and I think that is an apt description.

In a written impact statement to the court, a loss prevention manager at Loomis said: ‘The impact on staff and the effect on Loomis, apart from the £920,000 stolen, has been considerable.

‘There has been a significant impact on the company. The psychological impact on staff is considerable, the tiger abduction with an employee really affected a number of drivers and employers who left with feelings of vulnerability and shock weeks after the theft.

“There was concern that they and their families would be the next targets, drastically changing their daily habits.

‘There has been a complete cultural shift. Nobody knew what to do. We only employ around 75 drivers and managers here.

After that, it changed. This was not a victimless crime. The training and safety specifications of each Loomis vehicle had to be reviewed.

“Mr. Measor and his role have suffered a considerable impact from the sheer betrayal of trust. We trust this level of trust, otherwise this business cannot work.

‘After a robbery offence, our employees get full sick pay and a full range of psychological help.

“We did everything we could to support Measor by giving him PTSD counseling, as we trusted him when he said he was traumatized and had PTSD. He was fired from the full salary job and placed under a salary protection plan.

Mr Luke Ponte, defending Measor, told the court: ‘Mr Measor is way out of his league.

‘A loving father of two, with a paid job as an IT consultant, has lived in Banbury Road since 1987 when he bought it… and now he’s here.

He’s not a criminal mastermind. He’s a weak-willed man who shouldn’t have been involved in this, but he did.

They promised him £100,000 for his part in this. For what that promise is worth, it was a mirage. She hasn’t seen a single fiver note.

He is a weak-willed man who should have pleaded guilty, but couldn’t bring himself to do so. He serves to underline the obvious; he is a man who will be rehabilitated. It is highly unlikely that he will cause trouble in court again.

Whatever phrase is uttered, you have learned your lesson.

Measor, of Loughton, Essex, denied but was found guilty of conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

He was acquitted of conspiracy to conceal or transfer criminal property. He was sentenced today to a total of four years and 10 months in prison.

Cantaris, of Epping, Essex, admitted conspiracy to commit robbery and was found guilty in the trial of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He denied and was acquitted of conspiracy to conceal or transfer criminal property.

He was sentenced today for a total of five years and four months.

Terrance Burrell, 57, of Eping, Mark Kendall, 56, Paul McSweeeney, 55, of Watford, Christopher Shipp, 35, of Bishop’s Stortford, and Saimir Neziri, 38, of Barnet, were cleared by the jury of conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to cover up or transfer and conspiracy to carry out acts tending to pervert the course of justice.

The prosecution has indicated that the confiscation procedure will begin on a date to be set.