Town praised as first suspect charged

 

A 24-year old man from the Midlands appeared before Brecon Magistrates this morning charged with committing robbery jointly with others, but his two partners in crime are still on the run.

 

The town was gripped on Thursday afternoon when three men suspected of a snatch raid from Barclays, Machynlleth, just before noon abandoned their getaway Mercedes in the Flash and sped off on foot with the police in hot pursuit.

 

The chase centred on the Rhallt when dozens of officers, police dogs and a helicopter swept acres of open fields and wooded areas. The man was caught when a farmer stumbled across their hiding place just after 4pm, but the other two slipped through the net. Money was found close by in plastic bags.

 

As the saga rolled on, Mywelshpool kept the town up-to-date from the scene to ensure thousands of pairs of eyes remained on high alert long into the night and the police have now asked us to say thanks on their behalf.

 

Detective Chief Inspector Shane Williams said: “I’d like to thank members of the public in Welshpool who called in with information as the search was being undertaken for the suspects. And if anyone has any further information or sightings of these men (white, dressed smart in their mid-20’s) I would urge them to please call 101.”

 

Mywelshpool understands, and must reiterate that this has not been confirmed by police, that two other men have been held in connection with the investigation.

 

Meanwhile, last night rumours spread to Newtown, prompting the police to contact its mayor Cllr Joy Jones to try and instil calm.

 

“The police called me to get the message out there that the search for the robbers had not spread to Newtown and also that they were not armed at any point,” she said. “They told me that they were probably long gone by now and no longer in the area.”