Three men jailed over armed plot to rob cash-in-transit van

Both pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to rob, possession of a firearm with intent and having a firearm and ammunition.

Jason Francis McMillan (32), of Eithne House, Duncairn Parade, Belfast pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and was sentenced to six years and two months, with three years and one month in custody and a similar period on licence.

Belfast Crown Court heard that on the morning of Saturday March 6, 2021, a G4S cash-in-transit truck was due to call at a Spar shop on the Glen Road in west Belfast to collect takings totalling £4,679.11 (€5224.76).

Crown lawyer Natalie Pinkerton said that in the first week of March 2021 the PSNI's Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) believed an armed robbery was going to take place in the Belfast area.

On March 6, 2021, at 6.50 am, police observed a blue Volkswagen Tiguan on the M2 which turned off at the Royal Victoria Hospital junction.

“Forty minutes later the stolen Tiguan was observed with two males on board. The driver was wearing a heavy coat, hat and gloves,” said Ms Pinkerton.

“It was later observed travelling in convoy with a stolen black Seat Leon on the Monagh bypass before travelling onto the Glen Road. Both vehicles were fitted with false number plates.

“At 8.50 am, police approached the Tiguan and the driver, Stephen Allen, was wearing orange and blue gloves.

“He was extracted from the vehicle. He was wearing a black waterproof oversuit over his clothing with heavy leather work boots.”

Judge Philip Gilpin heard that Michael McMillan, who was wearing black gloves and a hat, tried to flee from the car but was arrested by police.

A loaded reactivated Webley revolver and six rounds of ammunition were found in the rear of the Tiguan along with a green petrol canister.

“At 9 am, Jason McMillan was observed by police in the rear garden of his parent's home. He was kneeling and was doing something to a neighbour's fence.”

Police searched the garden and found a car key and Jason McMillan was subsequently arrested at a petrol station on the Falls Road, west Belfast.

The prosecution lawyer said mobile phones were seized from the defendants and analysis showed that over a four-hour-period there were 45 contacts between them along with 146 text messages.

The court heard that the previous day CCTV footage showed the Tiguan following a G4S van on the Shankill Road and police believed this was a “dry run”.

“It is the prosecution case that there was a conspiracy between the three defendants to rob a G4S cash-in-transit van,” said Ms Pinkerton.

Sentencing the defendants, Judge Gilpin said: “The intended robbery in a residential area did not come to fruition but it was not due to any lack of intent. It was due to the timely intervention of the police.”

He said Stephen Allen and Michael Allen were centrally involved in the robbery plot while Jason McMillan was acting in an “advisory role”.

All three defendants were assessed by the Probation Service as a high likelihood of reoffending but did not pose a danger to the public.

Between them they have 235 convictions on their criminal records.

Stephen Allen and Michael McMillan were made the subject of Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs) for five years on release from prison.

Jason McMillan was made the subject of an SCPO for three years. The court ordered the destruction of all seized materials.

Following sentencing Detective Sergeant Crothers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Paramilitary Crime Task Force said: “The three men sentenced today were arrested on the morning of Saturday 6th March 2021, after the cars they were travelling in were stopped in West Belfast and searched as part of a proactive policing operation into criminality linked to the INLA.

"As a result of the search a loaded firearm and ammunition was recovered.

"We believe the men were targeting a cash-in-transit van and would have used the weapon to rob the van had specialist officers not intervened.

“This incident occurred in a busy shopping area at 9am in the morning and could well have ended in tragedy if police had not acted so effectively.

"Those who involve themselves in this kind of crime should be under no illusion as to our commitment and determination to identify, pursue and arrest anyone suspected of involvement in criminality and see them convicted for their crimes.”