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Ram raiders burst into locked West Bromwich pub with stolen BMW

Ram raiders burst open the locked door of a pub with a stolen BMW and escaped with £1,400 worth of alcohol and the £120 float from the bar, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

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The raid happened at The Yew Tree pub, pictured here on Google Street View

CCTV footage from inside the Yew Tree in Albion Road, West Bromwich, showed the headlights of the car as it repeatedly pushed at the door which was finally forced open and two hooded men walked in.

They then used a metal bar and brute strength to get into the Banqueting Suite where they stripped the bar of money and around 30 premium bottles of gin, vodka, whiskey and brandy during the early hours of November 10, said Miss Suzanne Francis, prosecuting.

They filled bags with the haul and caused considerable damage to the inside the the pub before fleeing in the BMW which had been stolen from the driveway of its Halesowen owner in a car key burglary overnight on October 24.

The raiders had not realised that a tenant was living in a flat above the pub and he alerted police and the owner.

CCTV film of the car and its occupants helped name 44-year-old Jagdeesh Bains who had a drug problem and was identified by a tell-tale tattoo.

Hospital order

Miss Sara Haque, defending, said two psychiatrists agreed that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and complained of 'hearing voices.'

Bains from Maria Street, West Bromwich was made the subject of a hospital order and will be transferred to psychiatric hospital where he will remain until doctors decide he is fit to be released.

He has been held in custody since his arrest almost seven months ago.

Judge Michael Challinor said: "I am satisfied that he is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and this is the best solution."

Other people involved in the crime have been dealt with separately by a different court.

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