By JOSE RAMOS, NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:58 BST, 7 October 2025 | Updated: 17:14 BST, 7 October 2025
This is the shocking moment two burglars used a stolen Mini to ram-raid a jewellery shop in broad daylight before police dogs found them hiding in a shed.Matthew White, 30, and Benjamin Brazil, 38, stole the car before smashing it into the glass front of Brooklands Jewellers in West Byfleet, Surrey, as stunned onlookers watched. Police said the pair had nicked the Mini hours earlier in nearby Addlestone, jumping into the vehicle while the owner was parked up with a friend. White and Brazil threw open the back doors, climbed inside, and ordered the terrified occupants to get out. Fearing for their safety, the women fled as the thieves sped off. Later that day, the same red Mini was caught on camera repeatedly reversing into the jewellery shop's windows before the crooks made off.Officers gave chase and, after a pursuit in New Haw, found the car abandoned, prompting a search with police dogs. Police Dog Vinnie and his handler quickly picked up a scent leading to a nearby shed, where both men were found hiding and arrested at gunpoint.A second dog, PD Oakley, discovered a pillowcase stuffed with watches and jewellery hidden in the woods.Matthew White, 30, and Benjamin Brazil, 38, stole the car before smashing it into the glass front of Brooklands Jewellers in West Byfleet Matthew White, 30, was jailed for four years and eight months and banned from driving for three years after his release Brazil of West Drayton, was handed four years and two months behind bars and an 18-month driving banWhite and Brazil were charged with burglary and theft of a motor vehicle. White also faced a count of dangerous driving, while Brazil was further charged with driving without due care and attention, no insurance, no licence, and vehicle interference.Yesterday at Kingston Crown Court, White, of Addlestone, was jailed for four years and eight months and banned from driving for three years after his release.Brazil, of West Drayton, was handed four years and two months behind bars and an 18-month driving ban.Investigating officer DC Kerry Plumb said: 'White and Brazil are career criminals who acted with no regard for property that was not their own, stealing whatever they wanted, wreaking havoc along the way, and not stopping to think about the consequences of their actions.'Fortunately, they now have plenty of time to reflect on this in prison.'Officers with a variety of skills from across the force - ranging from dog handlers to investigations to traffic to armed response and uniformed response and neighbourhood officers - played a vital role in pulling this case together.'Bringing these criminals to justice would not have been possible without this teamwork.'I am also thankful for the many members of the public who came forward as witnesses.'Their evidence helped us place White and Brazil - and the car they stole - at the scene of the ram raid in West Byfleet and was crucial in helping land them behind bars.'
