TWO men have been jailed after they were found guilty of stealing nearly £4m worth of designer jewellery.

Joseph Xenofondos, 34, of Loughton Way, Loughton, and Gary Maughan, 43, of Queensbridge Road, in Hackney, took part in a heist at Southend Airport in 2001 taking nearly 2,000 items of Cartier jewellery.

They were only caught last year after Tom Baisden, 28, of Grangeways, Thundersley, handed himself in to police confessing he was the “inside man” in the operation.

Baisden confessed to his crime after turning his life round following an appearance on the reality TV show Fifteen which was hosted by chef Jamie Oliver.

He told Basildon Crown Court he came up with the idea to rob the airport warehouse where he worked and enlisted his cousin Maughan and friend Xenofondos.

A former drug addict, Baisden said he knew Xenofondos through his cousin and they would often enjoy nights out together.

He said he was particularly afraid of Xenofondos adding: “He had a powerful presence around him. Gary told me Joe was much more well connected in the criminal world than we were."

Despite being registered unemployed, Xenofondos spent £100,000 annually in the four years after the raid.

He was today (December 7) convicted of conspiracy to steal and sentenced to five years' imprisonment.

Maughan was convicted of conspiracy to steal and handling stolen goods and sentenced to six years' imprisonment.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Tracy Hawkings, said: “This case demonstrates the unswerving determination of Essex Police to bring to justice people who believe they are beyond the law and who think they can sit back and live off the profits of crime."