Father's £4.5m drug raid on son

A father was jailed for 20 years at the Old Bailey today for helping to organise the £4.5 million armed robbery of his drug dealer son.

As the sentence was imposed, Shane Williams shouted "rot in hell" at his father, who sat with him in the Old Bailey dock.

Martin Williams, 60, had told three career criminals that his son, 36, was holding 76 kilos of cocaine. The trio then raided a safehouse used by Shane Williams and Nicholas Smith.

The gang used a 100,000-volt stun gun to terrify the pair, trussed them up with cable and smashed Smith over the head with a crowbar, said Sallie Bennett-Jenkins prosecuting.

William Parker, 45, Raymond Dyson, 57, and John Walton, 47, then made off with the drugs to rendezvous with Martin Williams. But the Flying Squad had been keeping the house under surveillance and all the men were arrested.

The six were given a total of 126 years for robbery, conspiracy and drugs offences - Walton, a "very violent man and a risk to the public" being jailed for life. Parker got 23 years, while Shane Williams, his father and Smith each got 20 years. Dyson was given 18 years.

The robbery took place in Sanderstead, Surrey, in May last year after Williams junior had picked up the cocaine from Harwich. Judge Stephen Kramer QC told the men: "Had you succeeded in supplying the drugs you would have done so at the expense, misery and damage of others." He told Martin Williams: "Your role was despicable."