Two brothers have been sentenced to a combined total of 31 years in jail after disguising themselves as elderly men with “extremely life-like” latex masks to rob a jewellery shop in Epping. The men stole a £15,000 Rolex watch from the shop after threatening staff with a knife and a hatchet axe. They gained entry to the shop by threatening staff and then cable-tied a staff member to a chair before stealing the watch. The men might have gotten away with the robbery if they had not left the masks in the boot of their car, which was later stopped by police.
The masks, which featured wrinkles, bald patches, and grey hair, were described by Essex Police as “extremely life-like”. A forensic examination of the masks linked the brothers to the robbery, and they were arrested separately. George Murphy-Bristow was arrested at the scene, and his older brother Benjamin Murphy was arrested several weeks later. Both men were found guilty of robbery and possession of bladed articles, with Murphy receiving an 18-year custodial sentence and Murphy-Bristow receiving a 13-year sentence.
The brothers initially denied their part in the robbery when they appeared at Southend-on-Sea Magistrates’ Court in June 2021. The robbery took place on 27 September 2021, and the brothers arrived at the jeweller’s on Epping High Street looking like two elderly men, complete with blue medical masks partially concealing their faces. The brothers also wore gloves and a trench coat to complete their disguise. The staff raised the alarm after the brothers searched the staff area, and they escaped using a vehicle parked outside.
