A gang of asylum seekers who were living in a hotel raided a high-end Knightsbridge department store armed with knives and stole Hermes handbags worth more than £70,000, a court heard.
The raiders struck the Design Exchange in west London on 20 October 2024, it is alleged.
Ken Duncan, a 57-year-old fruit delivery manager, was said to be the getaway driver for the heist.
Duncan allegedly drove three of the migrants to Brixton afterwards – but told police officers in an interview he had no idea he’d assisted a robbery.
The transport manager, who works delivering fruit to offices around London, was found by police with a Rambo knife and a pack of balaclavas in his car.
His truck – alleged to have also carried three of the raiders – was discovered with bags of expensive clothes inside, a court heard.
Asylum seekers Tyrease James, 21, and Akeem Lutchman-Singh say they were forced into robbing the retail store by two older Caribbean men by the names of Romeo Grannam, 37, and Acton Francis, 40.
At Isleworth Crown Court today, Duncan’s post-arrest interview with detectives was relayed to the jury.
He told officers that he thought he was helping his friends drop off a few of their friends to Brixton.
He described being ‘sat there for a few minutes’ on Brompton Road before one of the men he had driven to the location and two others ‘jumped in’ his car.
Duncan said that he knew something was ‘not right’ – but he said he was ‘just probably ignorant.’
He was asked about all the bags found by police.
But Ducan said he couldn’t see all the bags piled up behind him.
Following up, the investigator said: ’Obviously what was recovered from your vehicle was quite a few bags – I struggle to picture how you wouldn’t have seen them…could you explain to me?’
‘Because they came from behind me – so I’m still on my phone like this so I didn’t know anything – all I saw was my doors just open, they get in and Natalie is driving off.’
An officer asked: ‘At any point did you sort of look behind you at all?’
‘No, because I’m just concentrating’, Duncan answered.
‘Did you see them with masks, balaclavas, anything like that?’ Balaclava packets that were found, do you know where they came from?’, asked the investigator.
Duncan, who was initially arrested for being in possession of an offensive weapon, was asked why his car was found with a ‘Rambo knife’ inside.
He reiterated that he did know why he was driving the men but accepted that his mind did ‘start wondering’ during the trip to Brixton.
At the end of his interview, Duncan told the police: ‘I’ve never been involved in anything in my life.
‘For all this to happen and then to be told it’s a robbery with a knife – I’m in shock.’
In a prepared statement provided after his arrest, alleged robber Lutchman-Singh said he was ‘forced by two males to burgle the Design Exchange on 20 October 2024.
‘I’m an asylum seeker from Trinidad, I had to leave Trinidad because of serious concerns about my safety.
‘I had fears for my life which is why I burgled the Design Exchange.’
Co-defendant James said in his prepared statement he was ‘forced’ into committing the robbery by two ‘extremely dangerous’ Caribbean males.
‘I am an asylum seeker because of grave concerns about my safety in Trinidad – the people who forced me are linked to my issues in Trinidad,’ he said.
‘There were genuine fears I may be subject to serious harm unless I burgled the Design Exchange.’
Duncan, of South Norwood, Croydon, Francis, of Upper Norwood, Croydon, James, NFA, and Grannam, also NFA, all deny aggravated burglary with intent.
Lutchman-Singh, of no fixed abode, denies aggravated burglary with intent and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
The trial continues.
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