This is the shocking moment four men tricked sex workers into letting them into their homes before tying them up and robbing them at knife-point.
Terrifying CCTV footage released by the Metropolitan Police sees the men ransacking a woman’s flat in London while she is left defenceless against her armed attackers.
The clip shows the men storm in before one attacker kicks down a door in the flat while holding a knife.
Terrifying CCTV footage released by the Metropolitan Police sees the men ransacking a woman’s flat in London
The clip shows the men storm in before one attacker kicks down a door in the flat while holding a knife
Another is then seen emptying the contents of the woman’s handbag before the group leaves the premises.
The woman later emerges from a room and despairs as her belongings are strewn across the hallway.
All four men were found guilty of a series of seven robberies against nine female victims carried out across the city over a seven-month period.
The men crowd around the woman in the flat. The sex workers were often threatened with knives before their cards, money, phones and other personal possessions were stolen
The woman later emerges from a room and despairs as her belongings are strewn across the hallway
Erlandos Vyte, 24, on all but one occasion would call up to book an appointment.
When the escort opened the door, the other men Robertas Zilionas, Jospin Ble and Joshua Coke would force their way in and rob the victim.
The women were tied up with items them men brought with them or found at the homes.
The sex workers were often threatened with knives before their cards, money, phones and other personal possessions were stolen.
Police say the attacks left many of the victims with ‘lasting psychologically damaging effects’.
Joshua Coke (left), 21, was found guilty of one count and sentenced to 10 years in jail. Robertas Zilionas (right), 21, was found guilty of five counts and jailed for 14 years
One of the women said she recalled shaking violently during the robbery, suffering a panic attack as the robbers ransacked the flat.
She said: ‘Before this happened I was happy with the work I was doing, but now every time, I am aware of the risk and worry both of us have changed drastically the way we work.
‘Neither of us will now take any clients in the night time, which before wouldn’t have been a problem; if they ask any details about the building it makes me scared and I will not take the appointment.
Erlandos Vyte (left) pleaded guilty to nine counts of robbery and was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in jail. Jospin Ble (right) 23, was also found guilty of five counts of robbery and sentenced to 12 years
‘I used to sometimes travel around the country and work on my own and haven’t been able to do this.
‘All of this has obviously had an effect on the amount of money we are able to earn.’
She added that even hearing the same foreign accent in a bar of the men who attacked them triggers such fear it can cause them to have to leave the vicinity.
The men targeted seven locations, starting in June 2018 in Westminster, followed by three robberies on the Isle of Dogs and Hackney in October 2018.
In December 2018, they moved onto Kensington, while the final two robberies were carried out in Tower Hamlets.
Detectives managed to track down the robbers from just one lead, a fragment of a latex glove left by Ble.
This led to managing to track and analyse 327,000 separate lines of phone data as well as many hours of CCTV footage.
The four men were arrested from January to May 2019 and charged.
Detective Sergeant Patrick Allen, said: ‘These crimes were committed by a ruthless group of men armed with knives who targeted lone vulnerable women [working] in their own homes.
‘They attacked these women believing they would not report the incidents to police due to fear, embarrassment or the belief that the women would just see this as an occupational hazard.
‘They were wrong, and I’d like to praise those women that did come forward. I would like to assure those women and men involved in the escort trade that no matter what work you do if you make an allegation of crime it will be taken seriously and robustly investigated by the Met.
‘We will continue to pursue other suspects we have reason to believe were involved and would urge any other victims out there to contact us.’
Detective Superintendent Guy Collings, who leads the Met’s response to sex worker-related issues, said: ‘No one, regardless of their profession, should be the victim of any form of violence or abuse, and we will continue to support ending violence against those working in the sex trade.
‘We know this group historically mistrust the police and fear they’ll be criminalised if they come forward.
‘I hope the sentencing conveys the message that the Met is dedicated to pursuing justice for them.’
Vyte pleaded guilty to nine counts of robbery, while his three co-defendants were all found guilty by the jury on December 6 following the conclusion of the six week trial. He was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in jail.
Zilionas, 21, was found guilty of five counts and jailed for 14 years. Ble, 23, was also found guilty of five counts, and sentenced to 12 years. Coke, 21, was guilty of one count and sentenced to 10 years in jail.