Judge at Kingston crown court singles out ‘shocking’ attack on a mother and her young child

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A moped gang has been jailed for a string of bold “professional, planned and organised” high-profile raids across London and a “shocking” attempted robbery where a mother was threatened with having her three-year-old snatched away from her.

Among the crimes committed by the gang between July 2017 and June 2018 was the theft of BBC camera equipment filming the Oxford versus Cambridge Boat Race.

Judge Georgina Kent told the 12-strong gang, who were crowded into the dock at Kingston crown court: “Many offences were committed using motorbikes or mopeds, often stolen with false number plates. Many offences were committed at night.”

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She added: “The motorbike helmets and clothing, often all in black, were an effective disguise and created an intimidating appearance. The motorbikes provided a quick getaway.

“Many of these offences were committed in public view because you were confident you could get away with it.”

In what the judge described as an “exceptionally serious and shocking attempted robbery” that had “a degree of planning”, four gang members were caught on CCTV targeting a woman with a young child in broad daylight in Richmond, south-west London.

Phoebe Ruele was walking hand in hand with her son whom she had just picked up from nursery when two motorcycles rode past, stopped and waited for her on 21 June last year.

The court heard that John McFadyen, 24, grabbed her arm hard enough to leave bruises and told her: “Give me your rings. I’m going to hurt your child and take him away.”

Footage shows the “terrified” woman dragging her child into the road before builders chased the gang away, brandishing scaffolding poles.

The judge said she had “no doubt” this offence “would have struck fear into any parent who heard about it”.

The footage went viral after being circulated on social media by the Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, who asked the public to “call 101 or 999 if u know these scumbags”.

Taking the gang off the streets has helped cut moped-enabled crime in the capital by 52% in the space of a year, according to the Metropolitan police.

The defendants, who are aged between 19 and 36, also used their mopeds to block traffic before taking an angle grinder to cameras rigged up to capture the Boat Race on 22 March last year.

Although their first attempt on Putney Bridge was interrupted by and off-duty police officer, Steven Wagstaff, a specialised BBC camera worth an estimated £180,000 was stolen from Lonsdale Road by Barnes Bridge just an hour later.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The gang on Putney Bridge attempting to steal camera equipment installed for the varsity boat race. Photograph: MET Police

The gang, who were all linked to ringleader Terry Marsh, 32, were sentenced for offences including conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to burgle, conspiracy to steal, criminal damage and handling stolen goods.

Three gang members – Omar Tafat, 22, Josh Myers, 19, and Kian Taylor, 20 – were arrested on 7 May last year following a high-speed police chase.

It lasted more than 90 minutes and spanned 10 London boroughs, with all three riding the same bike. At one point they even drove the wrong way up the A40 into oncoming traffic to try to shake off the helicopter, police motorbikes and dog unit vehicles chasing them. They had arranged for an associate to wait by the roadside with a can of fuel in their attempt to escape.

The three, who had tried to film the escapade, were arrested when they crashed by South Ealing Cemetery.

The gang first came to the police’s attention on 31 December 2017 when they carried out a ram raid on the high-end outdoor clothing company Altimus in Kensington High Street using a stolen Range Rover and several mopeds.

They made off with thousands of pounds’ worth of Canada Goose and Nicole Benisti jackets, which can retail at up to £2,000.

Although the majority of their activity was in south-west London, four defendants travelled to Redditch in Worcestershire in January last year, where they stole three motorbikes worth a total of £30,000 after their owner accidentally posted his address when he advertised them on eBay.

Following the arrest of Tafat, Myers and Taylor in May, a further five gang members were arrested in July last year, with the remaining defendants apprehended after evidence found at their co-conspirators’ addresses was analysed.

Tafat, 22, of Fulham, was jailed for eight years and five months for conspiracy to steal, attempted robbery, the theft and attempted theft of BBC cameras, going equipped to steal, criminal damage to a police car and breach of a criminal behaviour order.

Myers, 19, of Shepherd’s Bush, was sentenced to eight years in a young offenders’ institution and disqualified from driving.

Taylor, of no fixed address, was sentenced to a total of nine years and four months at a young offenders’ institution and given a driving disqualification.

Steven Weller, 36, of Ealing, was given consecutive sentences of 49 months for conspiracy to rob, four months for conspiracy to steal and 26 months for conspiracy to burgle, and was sentenced to a total of six years and seven months.

Marsh, of Fulham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to burgle. The 32-year-old was jailed for a total of 13 years and two months.

After admitting a series of offences, Moran, 36, of Fulham, was given a total sentence of 24 months, suspended for 18 months with a six-month curfew.

John McFadyen, 24, of Feltham, was jailed for 32 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to rob, while his brother Isaac, 19, admitted conspiracy to rob and was sentenced to 32 months in a young offenders’ institution.

Mitchell Leaver, 18, of Battersea, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and a three-month curfew after admitting to conspiracy to burgle.

Scott Leaver, 25, of Lambeth, was sentenced to 56 months’ imprisonment after being found guilty of the same charge after trial.

The judge sentenced Aaron Pask, 27, of White City, to a total of six years and eight months after his convictions for conspiracy to burgle, conspiracy to steal and burglary.

Ram Monk, 23, of no fixed address, was sentenced to two years and eight months after being found guilty of conspiracy to burgle.