The scene of the alleged armed robbery at Goldsmiths jewellers in the centre of Ipswich

A RAIL worker accused of being involved in an armed robbery at Goldsmiths jewellers in Ipswich thought the premises were going to be burgled, a court has heard.

Giving evidence at Ipswich Crown Court, Benjamin Murphy said he had been involved in a burglary at a London jewellers’ on a previous occasion and thought the raid on Goldsmiths was going to be the same.

He said the burglary at Watches of Switzerland in London had involved two motorcyclists pulling up outside the store and snatching watches worth £56,000 after smashing the external window with a sledgehammer.

Murphy said his role had been to provide the motorbikes and he had not been one of the riders. He had subsequently been found guilty of an offence of conspiracy to commit burglary.

On June 14 last year a man involved in that burglary asked if he would be interested in being taking part in a similar raid at an Ipswich jewellers’ and Murphy had agreed to provide two motorbikes.

On June 15 he came to Ipswich in a van with the two bikes but denied being one of four men who pulled up outside Goldsmiths in Tavern Street and stole £78,000 of watches after smashing display cases in the store with a sledgehammer and an axe.

Murphy, 25, of Loughton, Danny O’Bryan, 22, of Bulphan, Essex, and Charles Onyemelukwe, 24, of Camden, have denied conspiracy to rob Goldsmiths. Onyemelukwe denied knowing anything about the robbery at Goldsmiths and said he had come to Ipswich on the day of the raid after being asked by a friend to drive him to the area to look at a motorbike. The trial continues on Monday.