AN armed gang set out to rob jewellery shops several times but got cold feet, the High Court heard.
When the gang finally robbed a bank - the Cheung Sha Wan branch of the Standard Chartered Bank - two policemen were shot and seriously injured as the gang made its escape.
Two men were jailed yesterday on charges of conspiracy to rob. Both denied the charges.
The mastermind, Wong Chi-pan, 32, was sentenced to 16 years in jail. Lam King-hang, 27, was sentenced to 12 years by Mr Justice Leonard. Neither defendant took part in the bank robbery.
They were convicted after evidence was given by co-conspirators who are both serving lengthy jail terms for the robbery in December 1989.
Mr Justice Leonard accepted that Lam had changed his mind about taking part and had shown up on the day of the robbery. The judge also accepted that Wong never intended to take part in the robbery.