Ram raid pair jailed for smashing their way into West End's Yves Saint Laurent before stealing £30,000 worth of luxury handbags in night heist

A pair of ram-raiders who used a family car to smash inside a West End luxury goods boutique and steal handbags worth £30,000 as part of a half-million-pound burglary spree have been jailed. Ryan Brough, 32, and Max Tyson, 25, used a black Toyota SUV to batter through the fortified windows of Yves Saint Laurent in Old Bond Street at 3am on January 23.Each was jailed for 40 months at the Inner London Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty over five raids between November 2025 and January 2026 in which £561,000 of luxury goods were stolen.CCTV footage shows the vehicle reversing into the glass several times as a moped rider keeps watch and a thief stands at the ready with a large plastic bag.After smashing through, the Toyota nudged forward to allow access to the showroom, with the bag handler and driver rushing inside while the moped continued to circle.The pair worked quickly to grab a number of luxury leather handbags worth around £30,000, and after 100 seconds fled back out onto the street.Several passing cars slowed to inspect the scene, but moved off after being approached by the moped.Brough and Tyson, both with previous convictions for theft and robbery, were arrested later that day by detectives from the Met's elite Flying Squad.Ryan Brough (left), 32, Max Tyson (right), 25, have each been sentenced to 40 months in prison The gang used a black Toyota SUV to batter open the fortified display window in Old Bond Street The gang stormed the shop on Bond Street, swiping the bags worth up to £30,000 a piece, at around 2.58am on January 23The pair had targeted the same Yves Saint Laurent store using a Vauxhall Insignia last November, but abandoned the hit when they were spooked by builders at a nearby construction site.Brough and Tyson also targeted Bottega Veneta on Old Bond Street on November 17, taking designer goods worth £40,000, and carried out a similar raid at END Clothing in Broadwick Street on December 1.They also reverse a white Mitsubishi SUV into Loro Piana, a luxury Italian fashion brand a short walk from Harrods, and stole goods worth just under £400,000 on 16 December, the court heard.Brough and Tyson, both of Islington, admitted two counts of conspiracy to burgle in relation to the five raids between November 11, 2025 and January 24, 2026.Chef Oliver Ndayizeye, 36, had admitted encouraging or assisting an offence by providing Brough and Tyson with his Vauxhall Ingisnia. He was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months.Sonny Stringer, 30, a thief once dubbed 'London's most notorious phone snatcher', admitted handling designer goods taken in the raids, and was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.Harry Johnson, 24, also admitted handling stolen goods and was jailed for 22 months. Photographs laid bare the aftermath of the robbery as the metal security shutters were severely damaged and pieces of glass were strewn across the floorSonny Stringer (left), 30, and Oliver Ndayizeye (right), 36, both admitted handling the stolen luxury goods but not to participating in the raidPatrick Hill, defending, told the court that after one of the raids Tyson 'made a 600-mile round trip in a day to sell some of the stolen goods'.He ended up paying just £1,800 into his bank account, the court heard.Stringer admitted handling on the basis he had no involvement in the actual raids.He was jailed for two years in 2024 after he used an e-bike to steal 24 phones in one morning.Ndayizeye, of Islington, north London, admitted encouraging or assisting an offence by providing his Vauxhall.Tyson and Brough waved and blew kisses to members of their family in the public gallery as they were led from the dock.Detective Constable Will Wigzell, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said: 'These robberies have a lasting impact on businesses, their staff and the wider community, affecting livelihoods as well as causing significant emotional and financial harm through the threats, violence and intimidation involved.'This organised crime group carried out a series of brazen smash-and-grab robberies across some of London’s busiest shopping districts. 'They carefully planned their offences, using stolen vehicles and mopeds in an attempt to evade detection, but thanks to the determination and expertise of Flying Squad detectives, they were identified and brought to justice.'These sentences mark a significant milestone in what has been a detailed and determined investigation. I hope they demonstrate our commitment to tackling smash-and-grab robberies in London by pursuing those involved, wherever they are.'