Mobiles 'place gang at robberies'

Two men were shot during the Chandler's Ford robbery

The mobile phone records of a gang of armed robbers, who allegedly carried out a series of bank raids, placed them at the crime scenes, a court has heard.

It is alleged the gang conspired to rob security vans and banks, including an incident in Hampshire in which two of them were shot dead by police.

Four London men deny conspiracy to rob between April 2006 and September 2007.

Kingston Crown Court was told phone records showed they had reconnoitred the banks prior to the raids.

The prosecution said mobile phone records placed the alleged co-conspirators at the site of the raids during these operations which took place a week to the hour before each raid.

'Phones tell tale'

Terence Wallace, 26, of Raynes Park, Adrian Johnson, 28, from Streatham Hill, Leroy Wilkinson, 29, from Streatham and Victor Iniodu, 34, from Tooting, all deny conspiracy to rob.

Mr Johnson also denies separate charges of possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing a CS spray and stealing a cashbox.

In his closing speech, chief prosecutor Brendan Kelly QC said there were "remarkable similarities" between the robberies and the phone records showing the defendants had all been in contact with the gang leader Mark Nunes.

Nunes was shot dead as he held a gun to a security guard's head at the HSBC branch in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire.

A second man, Andrew Markland, 36, was also shot during the raid.

"A large part of this case relies on evidence of the telephone billing, the schedules are facts," said Mr Kelly.

"Some days these facts gave rise to a proper inference that the defendant was at the centre of the conspiracy. It may be that other days there are legitimate explanations.

"In conclusion the phones tell the tale, the patterns are clear. Each of these four defendants at different times were recruited by Mr Nunes to further his plan."

Phone evidence 'selective'

The alleged 18-month crime spree across southern England, which targeted security vans, netted £500,000, the prosecution has claimed.

In all, 21 banks were targeted in Gloucester, Swindon, Bristol, Bath, Colchester, Tilehurst in Berkshire, Cherry Hinton near Cambridge, and Chandler's Ford.

The jury has been told that prior to the start of the trial, three men - Leroy Hall, Leon McKenzie and Brian Henry - pleaded guilty to being part of the gang.

Also, locations of the robberies were found in the memory of the satellite navigation system found in a car that Mr Johnson had access to.

Stephen Mejzner, defending Johnson, said the prosecution's phone evidence had been selective and taken from thousands of pages of itemised telephone schedules.

He added that there could be no guilt simply by association with Mr Nunes.

The trial continues.