Masked gang who terrorised women, children and babies in late-night raid on traveller

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Masked gang who terrorised women, children and babies in late-night raid on travellers' site while armed with machetes and iron bars are jailed for a total of more than 200 years

• A gang of 14 men tried to rob a travellers' site in Lenham, near Maidstone, Kent
  
• A court heard families were tied up and one couple was threatened with guns 
  
• Their six-year-old son said 'Daddy, please don't let them kill me,' jurors heard
  
• The 14 men received jail terms ranging between nine years and 21 years
  
• Each of them was convicted of or admitted conspiracy to commit robbery 
  

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A masked gang who carried out a 'mass attack on a traveller site' with machetes and iron bars have been jailed for more than 200 years in total for conspiracy to commit robbery.
The 14 raiders terrorised their victims, including women, children and babies, as they demanded money at gunpoint from them on April 26, 2016.
Dressed in black and wearing balaclavas, dust masks and bandanas to conceal their faces, a group of men entered three homes in Lenham, near Maidstone in Kent, at around 11.30pm.
Occupants were threatened with shotguns, handguns, crowbars and baseball bats during a prolonged attack, and four victims then had their wrists bound together with cable ties.

John Smillie of Walthamstow was jailed for 16 years" c


"Lee George Baker of Eastbourne, jailed for 12 years."

A gang of 14 men raided Wheat Gratten Stable Yards in the village of Lenham, near Maidstone, Kent. Left, John Smillie of Walthamstow, who was jailed for 16 years, and right, Lee George Baker of Eastbourne, jailed for 12 years
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"Nana Danquah of Potters Bar was jailed for 18 years"


"Nyake Alieu of Seaford, jailed for 16 years"

The stableyard, situated off a narrow country lane, was 'stormed' at about 11.30pm on April 26, 2016, Maidstone Crown Court heard. Left, Nana Danquah of Potters Bar, who was jailed for 18 years, and right, Nyake Alieu of Seaford, who was sentenced to 16 years
One couple was threatened with guns held to their heads while their six-year-old son, woken by the commotion, pleaded 'Daddy, please don't let them kill me'.
Jurors were told the gang had equipped themselves with reinforced tape, latex gloves, torches, cable ties and demolition bars bought from branches of B&Q and Poundland just hours before the raid. 
A father of seven was struck with a truncheon and handgun, before falling to the ground where he was kicked, beaten with a crowbar and baseball bat, and stabbed to his arm and thigh.  
The offenders found a quantity of cash and a designer handbag and then fled in different directions, leaving their victims tied up.  
But during the raid on Wheat Gratten Stable Yards in the Kent village, the robbers were forced to leave almost empty-handed when the residents fought back.

"Three of the robbers, Jheryl Long, John Smillie and Ahmed Ali, purchasing equipment from B&



Three of the robbers, Jheryl Long, John Smillie and Ahmed Ali, purchasing equipment from B&Q before the raid

 Darren Myers, 33, and Jake Jenks purchasing cable ties from Poundland

Pictured: Darren Myers, 33, and Jake Jenks purchasing cable ties from Poundland 
They chased the robbers across the field and rammed getaway vehicles, some of which were badly damaged and had to be abandoned at the scene.
Maidstone Crown Court heard that the armed robbers brandished a sawn-off shotgun and handgun, but none of the 14 defendants were convicted of carrying a firearm and/or imitation firearm with intent. 
A total of 17 men were identified by police, with fourteen subsequently convicted by a jury or admitting their part. 
They were jailed for conspiracy to rob following a series of trials over two years.
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"Darren Myers was jailed for 21 years"


"Jake Jenks was jailed for 14 years"

Passing sentence, Judge Julian Smith said the 'mass attack' on the traveller site was 'bold, audacious, determined and exceptional'. Left, Darren Myers, jailed for 21 years, and right, Jake Jenks, sentenced to 14 years
Their sentences, ranging between nine years and 21 years imprisonment can now be reported following the jailing today of the final raider, Junior Shawki Tamakloe, who was described as 'a critical player' in both organising and overseeing the raid.
The 34-year-old from London pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and was jailed for 13-and-a-half years.
Previous sentencing hearings saw Aaron Mayers, 31, from Hackney, jailed for 16 years; Nana Danquah, also 31 and from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, jailed for 18 years; and Jake Jenks, 23, from Tunbridge Wells, jailed for 14 years.
Darren Myers, 33 and also from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, jailed for 21 years for conspiracy to rob and possession of a disguised firearm.
Connor Miller, 21, also from Tunbridge Wells, was imprisoned for 13 years; Lee Baker, 29, from Eastbourne, was jailed for 12 years; Nyake Alieu, 33, also from Eastbourne, was jailed for 16 years; and 26-year-old Brady Dewson was jailed for 12 years.
Ahmed Ali, 23, from London, was jailed for 13 years; Jheryl Long, 24, from London, was jailed for 16 years; Glenn Kenny, 25 and from Suffolk, was jailed for nine years and four months; and John Smillie, 25, from Walthamstow, and Faisal Issah, 24, from Tottenham, were each jailed for 14 years.

"Aaron Mayers was jailed for 16 years" 


"Ahmed Ali was jailed for 13 years"

None however were convicted of carrying a firearm and/or imitation firearm with intent.
Passing sentence, Judge Julian Smith said the 'mass attack' on the traveller site was 'bold, audacious, determined and exceptional', carried out in the hope of 'significant reward'.
One of the armed robbers himself spoke of the expectation of a 'life-changing' financial gain.
At the start of each trial, prosecutor Nina Ellin told the jury: 'The masked men were dressed in dark clothing and armed with a variety of weapons including a sawn-off shotgun, a handgun, iron bars and a machete.
'They were demanding large sums of money at the point of a gun. They terrorised the occupants of the caravans which included women and young children and one man was brutally attacked.

"Brady Dewson was jailed for 12 years"


"Glenn Kenny was jailed for nine years"

Prosecutor Nina Ellin said the gang tied up some of their victims with cable ties.  Left, Brady Dewson, jailed for 12 years, and right, Glenn Kenny, who was jailed for nine years
'They tied up some of their victims with cable ties which they had brought with them ready for that purpose.'
But the court heard the 'tables were turned' when the raiders themselves came under attack.
'Other occupants sought to repel the attackers. Shots were fired, vehicles were rammed, and the attackers withdrew into the night,' added Miss Ellin.
Police found four cars abandoned at the stableyard. Another, a gold Audi TT, was traced and the occupants arrested. 
Others were identified and arrested through DNA, fingerprints, mobile phone data, CCTV and automatic number plate recognition cameras.

"Jheryl Long was jailed for 16 years"

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"Connor Miller was jailed for 13 years" 

But the 'tables were turned' when the raiders themselves came under attack, the court was told. Left, Jheryl Long, jailed for 16 years, and right, Connor Miller, jailed for 13 years
The raid involved four 'teams' from London, Kent, Sussex and Essex coming together and 'converging' on the stableyard at the same time.
Miss Ellin said CCTV at a B&Q store in Tottenham, north London, and a Poundland branch in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, showed some of the gang buying their 'equipment', while others carried out a reconnaissance of the site.
Three men, Vincent Stickings, 31, from Thamesmead, south London, Kieon Barker, 24 and from Stoke Newington, and Irasto Yoxall, 32, from Bethnal Green, were cleared of any involvement.
Judge Julian Smith said: 'This offence was clearly the result of a good deal of planning - bold and audacious planning involving a mass attack on a traveller site by a group of armed, masked and determined attackers prepared to use significant force.
'The actions of the attackers were co-ordinated to achieve maximum impact for significant reward and the attackers were ready to use extreme force to achieve it.

 Faisal Issah (pictured), 24, from Tottenham, was jailed for 14 years"

  Faisal Issah (pictured), 24, from Tottenham, was jailed for 14 years
'They believed themselves ready and able to subdue the residents with cable ties, weapons, threats and numbers. They expected large sums of money to be on that site.'
Judge Smith added the raiders were also aware that their target would not be 'easily cowed into submission.
'Armed and disguised as they were, the group stormed the site, climbing over walls, charging through gates and attacking each caravan that they came to,' he continued.
'But the fact the attack was probably unsuccessful has more to do with the response of the families on the site and their vigorous, and even desperate, response.
'The attackers were chased across fields in all directions to flee the scene and residents used their own vehicles to ram parked cars, disabling some of them and preventing escape.
'This is a case which can properly be described as exceptional.'
The court heard the victims continue to suffer emotionally and physically, and it had led to some leaving their homes for good out of fear.
One described the impact as having 'broken up' the families sharing the stable yard.
The court heard Tamakloe has no previous convictions and is a 'volunteer and mentor' within his community, where he also cares for his ill mother.
Jailing him, Judge Smith said although he accepted the raid was not his 'brainchild', he had played a key role and provided a link between the teams in London and Kent.

"Junior Tamakloe, who the judge said was 'clearly critical to the planning and organisation and had an overall picture of this attack', was sentenced to 13 and a half years today" 


Junior Tamakloe, who the judge said was 'clearly critical to the planning and organisation and had an overall picture of this attack', was sentenced to 13 and a half years today
'He was clearly critical to the planning and organisation and had an overall picture of this attack,' he added.
After sentencing Detective Inspector James Derham, a senior investigating officer for this case, said: 'These men subjected three families to extreme levels of violence which left them in fear that they would be killed.
'The ordeals the victims were subjected to were terrifying and it has taken a huge amount of courage to speak out against these men.
'The level of violence used shows the offenders to be a very real threat to society and it is fit and proper that they now face a substantial amount of time in custody.
‘I would like to thank the victims for the support they have given to this investigation. It has helped put together a strong and compelling case which has secured these entirely appropriate sentences.
‘This case shows the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate will relentlessly pursue organised crime groups operating in this county and bring those responsible before the courts.’
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Masked gang who terrorised travellers' site armed with machetes jailed for more than 200 years 


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