Pair raided car sales business, court told

Two men were part of a gang which burst into an industrial unit, threatened the occupants and stole four cars, more than £1,000 in cash and gold jewellery, a court heard.

Julian Allen, aged 21, and Andrew Rose, 26, confronted the two business owners – who are brothers – at the car sales and repairs site, it is alleged.

They searched the victims for valuables and then escaped in the cars along with two others, the court heard. The alleged raid happened on January 28 at the unit in Owen Road, Willenhall, at about 9.30pm.

Mr Jason Aris, prosecuting at Wolverhampton Crown Court, said Rose and Allen and two others burst on to the site demanding to know where "Dal" was.

When the brothers said they did not know, the gang searched all of them and one appeared to threaten victim Fasir Shah with a handgun, it was alleged. Mr Shah said he was shown what looked like a gun tucked inside Allen's trousers.

His brother Nasir said "Dal" was the name of their landlord, from whom they had been renting the unit.

The gang then took all the car keys stored in the office, and escaped with a Honda, a Mini Cooper, a Jaguar, a Rover MG, four mobile phones, a gold necklace, a gold bracelet, £1,165 cash, a driving licence and a bank card, Mr Aris said.

Rose, of Trinity Road, Aston, has admitted the four counts of robbery and accepts he was a member of the gang, but denies possession of an imitation firearm.

Allen, of Beales Street, Aston, denies all four counts of robbery and possession of an imitation firearm. Mr Aris said: "A week later officers are in the Aston area of Birmingham. They stop the blue Rover MG because it is being driven dangerously.

"Lo and behold, it's Andrew Rose driving."

Two fingerprints belonging to Allen were found on the outside of the car, but Allen denies knowing anything about the robbery, and said he does not recognise the car. The trial continues.