A cash-in-transit driver faked an armed robbery and stole almost £1m from his vehicle. Andrew Measor, 51, helped Stefanos Cantaris, 40, steal £920,000 in banknotes during the heist in Ilford, east London, on December 30, 2021.
During the heist, Measor handcuffed himself to his security van's steering wheel and waited two hours to raise the alarm at the depot in Dagenham. He called for help by dialling his phone with his nose.
CCTV footage released on Friday (March 24) showed masked men lading chequered laundry bags full of cash into a white Vauxhall Combo. Measor claimed he was "raided" by a man armed with a gun who approached him as he left his home.
Measor claimed the robber said: “I know everything that goes on. Just do as I say and everything will be OK.”
To give the false narrative more credence a so-called "Tiger kidnap" took place outside his front door. His doorbell camera filmed a man wearing a latex mask approaching him.
But Judge Dafna Spiro told him that the court had not fallen for the rouse. She said: “This was not, as you say, a Tiger kidnap. It was a well-planned, sophisticated, heavily orchestrated theft in which you, Mr Measor, were a willing participant and you, Mr Cantaris, organised, planned and supervised. You were both in this together.”
The judge described Meafor, who had worked for cash handling firm Loomis for three years, as the "inside man" in the operation. She added: “You have been let down by your poor decision-making and greed which in the end bought you nothing, not even a single note but has bought misery on all those around you.”
Measor, from Loughton, Essex, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit theft and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice at trial at Southwark Crown Court. He was jailed for four years and 10 months.
Stefanos Cantaris, from Epping, Essex, pleaded guilty to theft and was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was jailed for five years and four months at Southwark Crown Court.
Both men were cleared of conspiracy to launder money. The cash has not been recovered.
The court heard that Cantaris masterminded the plot and had met up with Measor on multiple occasions in the months leading up to the heist.
Judge Spiro told Cantaris: “You have chosen to take advantage of others’ gullibility. Mr Measor is not an angel but he was bought in and charmed by you.
“I am sure you would make a fantastic salesman if you do honest work in your life and are able to make a good living.”
Following the heist, Measor was signed off work. He was given full pay and was provided with counselling for post-traumatic stress for months until he was arrested.
He even boasted to his friends that he was "milking" his employer. In messages, he said it was "defo an inside job".
Five other men were cleared of having any involvement in the plot. Confiscation proceedings will take place later.
