Police Scotland officers in Edinburgh are issuing a fresh appeal for witnesses to come forward after another car linked to the Hamilton & Inches robbery was recovered in the north of the city.
Extensive enquiries are ongoing into the high-value armed robbery that took place on Friday 6th June, when three men dressed in dark clothing entered the jewellery store at around 11.40am and threatened staff with various bladed weapons.
The trio smashed a number of display cabinets before making off with over £1 million worth of goods, including a £325,000 diamond Chatila necklace and eight Patek Phillipe watches ranging from £22,000 to £66,000.
All of the suspects were then seen entering a white BMW car, which was recovered a short time later in Gloucester Lane.
Police Scotland can today reveal that it has been established the men then abandoned the BMW before getting into a dark blue Honda CRV that was seen heading towards Stockbridge.
The Honda, a late 2007 model, would have contained at least four people and it is thought to have travelled north along Gloucester Street on to Kerr Street, then through the main Stockbridge thoroughfare towards Raeburn Place.
It was recovered abandoned in a car park at East Pilton Farm Rigg in Edinburgh, and it is believed that the vehicle may have been dumped there after the robbery.
Detective Inspector Carol Craig is urging any members of the public who may have seen the vehicle in Edinburgh on Friday 6th June to get in touch with Police Scotland immediately.
“The response we have had from members of the public to this very serious incident has been terrific so far,” said Detective Inspector Craig, who has been leading the investigation into the armed robbery.
“But those responsible have still to be identified and we hope that the recovery of the dark blue Honda CRV could prove crucial. We are appealing for anyone who may have seen the vehicle being driven in Stockbridge around the time of the robbery or being dumped at East Pilton Farm Rigg to come forward.”
An inventory of all the stolen items continues to be undertaken but it has emerged that over £800,000 worth of jewellery was taken from the window displays alone.
The items included Chatila earrings worth £95,000 and diamond rings ranging from £3,525 to £61,000, while the most expensive piece of jewellery stolen from the window was a diamond Chatila necklace costing £325,000.
Detective Inspector Craig added: “This was clearly a very high-value robbery and the items involved very precious pieces of jewellery. It was also a frightening experience for the staff at the shop and we are working hard to establish exactly what happened.”
Anyone with any information on the Hamilton & Inches armed robbery can contact Police Scotland on 101 or, alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
