TWO men accused of taking part in a �380,000 raid at the Royal Exchange appeared at the Old Bailey today (Thursday).

Thieves wearing hooded-tops and balaclavas used sledgehammers to smash through shop windows at the exclusive City of London mall on the night of August 14 this year.

They escaped with DeBeers jewellery and Omega watches, worth an estimated �377,000.

Shane McGloin, 30, of Charles Townsend House, Finsbury estate, Clerkenwell, and David Kelly, 26, of Ashbrook Road, Archway, appeared before the Recorder of London Judge Peter Beaumont QC for a preliminary hearing.

Both are charged with conspiracy to commit burglary.

The pair sat alongside each other on a videolink from Wandsworth prison. They spoke only to confirm their names during the short hearing.

McGloin had a crutch to help him walk.

Judge Beaumont set a trial for May 3 next year. It is expected to last up to three weeks.

The men will next appear for a plea and case management hearing to be listed in the week beginning January 10.

McGloin and Kelly were remanded in custody.