Tunnelling gang who tried to dig into a Tooting jewellery shop from a massage parlour next door are jailed

Ioan Asafeti, 39, was jailed for four years and 10 months at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, and Sergiu Plastin, 42, got three years and four months. Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara, 38, received just two years. The Met's Flying Squad linked their organised crime group to London jewellery raids worth more than £700,000 between May and July. Detectives believe the spree may have stretched to Europe.

Police were called to Mitcham Road at 3.12am on 17 July after reports of a burglary.

Nitisoara was caught in an alley with a Taser trained on him, and Asafeti was found hiding on a rooftop.

Plastin was arrested later that day at Stansted Airport trying to flee the country.