Two brothers have been sentenced to a combined total of 31 years in jail for a robbery they committed while wearing latex face masks to disguise themselves as elderly men.
The heist, which took place in Essex, involved Benjamin Murphy, 37, and George Murphy-Bristow, 28, who were armed with a knife and a hatchet axe. They tied up a worker with cable ties and stole a £15,000 Rolex watch from his wrist before fleeing the scene in a getaway car parked outside.
Several weeks later, the police stopped a suspicious vehicle during a patrol about 36 miles away. They discovered two full-face masks and clothing identical in appearance to that worn by the suspects in the robbery in the car’s boot. Additionally, they found a black duffel bag containing a hatchet, knife, and cable ties. The driver of the car, George Murphy-Bristow, was arrested at the scene. Forensic tests of saliva from inside the masks identified DNA belonging to Murphy-Bristow and his older brother, Benjamin Murphy.
The pair were arrested separately and refused to answer any questions during their respective interviews. Both brothers were charged with robbery and possession of a bladed article and were remanded in custody. They denied their part in the robbery when they appeared at Southend-on-Sea Magistrates’ Court on June 22, 2021. A jury found them guilty following a three-day trial at Basildon Crown Court, taking just over an hour to reach a verdict.
