A man from Old Trafford was one of a gang of armed robbers who stole watches, a wallet and a Range Rover from cafe customers including the brothers of Premier League footballers.
Romario Harmer burst into Little Rock Cafe on Princess Street, Moss Side alongside accomplices Talleko Lemonious and Tariq Dervan, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
The gang wore dark clothing with a face covering and wielded weapons such as a baseball bat, a machete and a sawn-off shotgun.
They threatened cafe customers and stole from five of them including the brothers of Marcus Rashford and of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Initially, the gang demanded watches, but one victim without a watch was told to hand over his wallet and the keys to his Range Rover.
Harmer, of Old Trafford, Lemonious, of Wythenshawe, and Dervan, of Staffordshire, fled from the scene in the stolen 4×4 and a white BMW.
An hour later, however, police tracked them to an address in Fallowfield, where the gang were arrested and the stolen items were recovered alongside the baseball bat, the machete and the sawn-off shotgun.
Harmer, Lemonious and Dervan gave no comment interviews and denied robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of a bladed article and possession of a firearm at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
After a trial they were convicted on all counts this week, with sentences to come in March.
Carl Miles, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, said: “Talleko Lemonious, Tariq Dervan and Romario Harmer carried out a terrifying armed robbery at a café in broad daylight. In their greed, they showed utter disregard for the impact on their targeted victims and other customers and staff in the cafe, who genuinely feared for their lives, and were not afraid to use violence to get what they wanted.
“We worked closely with the police to build a strong case against them, including DNA and CCTV evidence, which we presented to the jury. After careful consideration of this evidence the jury found all three men guilty of all the offences they faced.
“I would like to thank the victims for their help in bringing these violent men to justice in order to protect the public from further harm at their hands. I hope that the conclusion of the trial helps them move forward with their lives.”
This article was written by Jack Tooth. Jack is the reporter for The Messenger and covers anything and everything from within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford.
To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.
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