Camden New Journal - by PAUL KILETHY Published: 20 March 2008
The gang brandish swords in the kitchen of the Finchley Road McDonald’s
Swords gang who raided McDonald’s are jailed
FOUR men who brandished swords and threatened to kill a staff member while they robbed a McDonald’s restaurant were jailed on Tuesday. The gang raided the fast-food chain’s Finchley Road branch through a fire door while staff were cashing up in April last year.
Terrified cleaners and cashiers were held prisoner in the kitchens as the masked raiders ransacked the tills.
Anthony Fitzgerald, 18, Casey Scales, 17, and Ashley Waterman, 19, from Paddington, and Ahmed Yusef, 19, from Willesden Lane, Kilburn, were sentenced to a total of 16 years at Wood Green Crown Court after pleading guilty to armed robbery.
Detective Sergeant Rebecca Reeves from Camden police said: “The suspects armed themselves with swords to rob the staff at McDonald’s, who were in the store clearing up at the end of a shift. The suspects covered their faces with masks and used a getaway car with stolen number plates, but two of the suspects were seen on CCTV in the restaurant earlier in the night. “An investigation uncovered the links between the group and the evidence of their planning. They showed no regard for the staff, who they threatened with large swords.”