Moped crime falls 52% after gang are taken off the streets
Raiders branded ‘scumbags’ by Holden get 64 years
MOPeD raid crimes in London plunged by 52 per cent in a year after a 12-strong gang were arrested, police said yesterday.
The figure emerged as the gang, who stole £170,000 of BBC camera equipment used to film the Boat Race, were jailed for a total of 64 years.
Nine of the crooks had a staggering 383 convictions for previous offences between them. The ruthless gang became famous when TV star Amanda Holden shared footage of a raid, urging the public to call police ‘if u know these scumbags’.
Kingston Crown Court heard the gang carried out at least 16 robberies across south and west London on stolen motorcycles between November 2017 and June 2018.
They were caught after their final attack was highlighted on social media by Britain’s Got Talent judge Miss Holden, 48. The thugs had demanded that a mother hand over her jewellery in Richmond and threatened to take away and hurt her toddler if she refused.
Terrified Phoebe Reule was walking hand-in-hand with her threeyear-old son when four men in black full- face helmets swooped. She grabbed her child and ran into the road to escape while the gang were chased away by builders brandishing scaffolding poles. The court was told the gang stole £170,000 of camera equipment used to film the Oxford and Cambridge race in March 2018. After one attempt on Putney Bridge failed, they grabbed highly-specialised gear near Barnes Bridge.
They even snatched a moped from police in Fulham after letting off two fire extinguishers as a distraction.
Three crooks riding on one bike were arrested in May 2018 after a 90minute high- speed police chase across ten London boroughs. The trio drove the wrong way up the A40, trying to film their escape attempt.
Yesterday the gang, aged between 18 and 36, were sentenced for 12 offences, including conspiracy to rob, burgle and steal, criminal damage and handling stolen goods.
Nine had 383 previous convictions including burglaries, handling stolen goods, car theft, assault and robbery. Judge Georgina Kent, sentencing, told the crooks: ‘You have caused a great deal of harm, loss and damage to a large number of victims.
‘Apart from the financial cost, there’s the human cost in anxiety, distress and fear caused to the victims. Your offending has cost a great deal in police resources. These were very professional, planned and organised offences.’
The court heard that ringleader
‘Threatened to snatch toddler’
Terry Marsh, 32, already had convictions for 78 offences including burglaries from 2003 to 2014. The judge said of the attack on Miss Reule by Marsh, John McFadyen, 24, and his brother Isaac, 18, and Steven Weller, 36: ‘It’s striking that the robbers were so confident that they targeted their victims in full public view.’
She said John McFadyen told Miss Reule ‘Give me your rings or I’m going to hurt your child and take him away’. She added: ‘Miss Reule was terrified – she instinctively picked up her son and dragged him back towards the road ‘A mother and her three-yearold son are extremely vulnerable. To threaten a mother with violence towards a very young child and to threaten to take the child away is a most effective and distressing threat. ‘I have no doubt that this offence would have struck fear into any parent who heard about it.’ Marsh, of Fulham, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob, steal and burgle, apologised to Miss Reule through his lawyer and said he was ‘extremely ashamed’.
He was jailed for 13 years and two months. John McFadyen, of Feltham, west London, and his brother Isaac both received two years and eight months. Weller was jailed for six years and seven months. Other gang members were sentenced for up to nine years.
Detective Inspector Andy Durham said: ‘They terrified their victims during a number of calculated and violent ordeals and will now spend a significant amount of time behind bars.
‘In addition to the pain and distress they caused to so many innocent people, the cost of their crime spree is estimated to be approximately £500,000.
‘Criminality of this kind will not be tolerated in London.’