A gang of moped ‘scumbags’ exposed by BGT judge Amanda Holden for threatening to snatch a toddler have been jailed for a total of 68 years today.
The 12-strong mob carried out a series of high-profile raids around the capital – even trying to steal TV cameras from bridges on the university boat race route – before making off on mopeds.
Ms Holden got involved after four gang members were caught on CCTV targeting her neighbour, Pheobe Ruele, as she walked her little son home from nursery last summer.
Bearded gang ringleader Terry Marsh, along with Steven Weller, John McFadyen and his brother Isaac, tried to rob Miss Reule in the middle of the road, demanding ‘give me your rings or I’m going to hurt your child’.
They were spotted by a group of builders who chased them off brandishing scaffold poles.
The gang were finally rounded up following another raid, after a 90-minutes chase through 10 London boroughs, which ended when one pair slid off their bike while trying to take a corner at high speed.
Helicopter footage shows the moment two of the gang slid off their moped after another crime
They were chased into a graveyard when one was detained, leading to a series of arrests
Footage of the attack in Richmond, south west London, was tweeted by the Britain’s Got Talent judge who urged the public to call the police ‘if u know these scumbags’ after it happened last June
All four were jailed at Kingston Crown Court today, along with six other members of the 12-strong gang who were also responsible for a string of high profile raids across London. Two were spared jail.
The gang were behind the theft of £170,000 of camera equipment used to film the Oxford and Cambridge boat race.
Nine of the 12 had racked up 383 previous convictions for burglaries, handling stolen goods, car theft, aggravated vehicle taking, assault and robberies between them. The other three men had no previous criminal records.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline after the gang were convicted last week, Amanda Holden said: ‘I’m delighted these criminals have been brought to justice. It’s nice to see how social media can work in a positive way when we all work together.’
Today the thugs, aged between 18 and 36, and who were all linked to ringleader Marsh, 32, appeared for 12 offences, including conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to burgle, conspiracy to steal, criminal damage and handling stolen goods.
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 offences were committed at night.’
Members of the gang are pictured climbing on Putney Bridge in order to steal expensive camera equipment for the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race
Footage taken from below shows them trying to break the rigging to get the camera
Judge Georgina Kent sentenced them, saying: ‘All 12 of you have been involved in conspiracies to steal, burgle and rob as well as other offences.
‘Between you 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 and to those who witnessed and heard about the offences. Your offending has cost a great deal in police resources.
‘These were very professional planned and organised offences. The common denominator is Terry Marsh.’
She said there was little forensic or physical evidence to the crimes which were mostly carried out at night and added: ‘Terry Marsh was supremely organised and diligent in rotating SIM cards and phones he used.’
Terry Marsh (left), of Fulham, admitted conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to burgle. He was sentenced to 13 years and two months. Kian Taylor (right) admitted attempted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, going equipped for theft and criminal damage. He was sentenced to nine years and four months in a young offenders institute
Josh Myers (left) of Shepherd’s Bush, and admitted attempted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, going equipped for theft and criminal damage. He was sentenced to eight years in a young offenders institute. Omar Tafat (right), of Fulham, admitted attempted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, going equipped for theft, breach of a criminal behaviour order and criminal damage. He was sentenced to eight years and five months in a young offenders’ institute.
John and Isaac McFadyen, of Feltham, admitted conspiracy to rob. John was sentenced to two years and 8 months while Isaac was jailed for two years and 8 months in a young offenders’ institute.
The judge continued: ‘At about 12.30pm on 21st June 2018 Mr Marsh, Mr Weller, Isaac McFadyen and John McFadyen attempted to rob a young mother who was with her child.
‘This was an extremely serious offence, the robbery was captured on CCTV and reported in the media.
‘Apart from the impact on the victim, the nature of offences caused shock and concern to those who heard about it.’
The McFadyen brothers approached the mother Phoebe Reule as she was walking hand in hand with her three-year-old son after picking him up from nursery.
The judge said: ‘All four men were dressed in black motorbike clothing and black full face helmets.
‘They were waiting for Miss Reule so they must have targeted her when they walked past her. Mr Marsh and Mr Weller moved their bikes into Sandpits Road.
‘It’s striking that the robbers were so confident that they targeted their victims in full public view.
‘When Phoebe Reule and her son arrived at the mouth of Sandpits Road, the McFadyen brothers approached them together. She said she could see Mr Weller and Mr Marsh.
‘John McFadyen grabbed hold of Ms Reule by the arm, as he did so John McFadyen demanded her rings and threatened to hurt her child.
‘He said, ‘give me your rings or I’m going to hurt your child and take him away’. As he said that he bent down as if to move towards the child.’
Steven Weller (left), of Ealing, admitted conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to burgle. He was sentenced to six years and seven months. Aaron Pask (right), of White City, West London, was convicted of conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to burgle and burglary. He was sentenced to six years and eight months.
Scott Leaver (left), of Battersea, and Mitchell Leaver, 18, of Lambeth, southwest London, admitted conspiracy to burgle. He got four years and eight months. Ram Monk (right) of no fixed address, was convicted conspiracy to burgle. He was sentenced to two years and eight months jail.
Mitchell Leaver (left), of Lambeth, southwest London, admitted conspiracy to burgle but was given 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months. Ryan Moran (right), of Fulham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to burgle and handling stolen goods. He was handed a 24 month suspended sentence.
The judge added: ‘Ms Reule was terrified, she instinctively picked up her son and dragged him back towards the road – fortunately there were no cars in the vicinity at the time.
‘Miss Reule’s instructive reaction caused John McFadyen to release her arm. Ms Reule shouted, ‘help help they are trying to take my child’.
‘The most serious aggravating feature was the targeting of the victim due to her vulnerability and the nature of the threat made.
‘A mother and her three-year-old son are extremely vulnerable. The threats that were made were calculated to exploit that vulnerability.
‘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.’
This is the angle grinder they used as they tried to steal a TV camera from Putney Bridge ahead of the Oxford-Cambridge boat race
Taking the criminals off the streets has helped cut moped crime in the capital by 52 per cent in a year, the Metropolitan Police claim.
The gang’s illegal activity first came to light on New Year’s Eve 2017 after a ram raid on outdoor clothing company Altimus Ltd in Kensington using a stolen Range Rover and several mopeds.
Three were arrested last May after a high-speed police chase that lasted more than 90 minutes and spanned 10 London boroughs.
The trio, who were piled on the same moped and drove the wrong way up the A40, tried to film their escape attempt.
Ringleader Terry Marsh, of Fulham, was jailed for 13 years and two months with four years-and-a-half for the attempted robbery.
He got four years consecutive for the conspiracy to steal and another four years and eight months for conspiracy to burgle.
John McFadyen, of Feltham, west London, and his brother Isaac, 18, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob, while his brother Isaac, 18. John got two years and eight months in jail. Isaac got two years and eight months in a youth offenders institution for the attempted robbery.
Steven Weller, 36, of Ealing, west London, admitted conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to burgle.
He was jailed for six years and seven months – four years and a month for conspiracy to rob the young mother; with consecutive four months for conspiracy to steal and 26 months for conspiracy to burgle.
Josh Myers, 19, of Shepherds Bush, west London, pleaded guilty to attempted theft, going equipped to steal, criminal damage to a police car, dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, possession of an offensive weapon and conspiracy to steal.
He was also found guilty of two further counts of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon at trial.
Photos show the gang trying to remove the camera in the middle of rush hour while stunned motorists watch on
Myers got eight years in a youth offenders institution and a two year driving ban.
Kian Taylor, 20, of no fixed address, admitted attempted theft, going equipped to steal, criminal damage to a police car, dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and possession of an offensive weapon, and was found guilty of robbery after trial.
He was given nine years in a youth offenders institution and a two year driving ban.
Pictured: Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, whose neighbour was targeted in the robbery in Richmond last June
Ryan Moran, 26, of Fulham, admitted conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to burgle and handling stolen goods.
He was spared jail. He got a two-year term suspended for 19 months with six months on an electronically monitored curfew from 9pm to 6am.
Mitchell Leaver, 25, of Battersea, south west London, admitted conspiracy to burgle. He got one year suspended for 18 months with a 9pm to 6am electronically monitored curfew for three months.
His twin brother Scott, of Lambeth, was found guilty of the same charge after trial. He got four years in prison.
He also got concurrent sentences – six months for possession of a weapon, 20 months for dangerous driving and four months for going equipped for theft.
Aaron Pask, 27, of White City, west London, was convicted of conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to steal, while Ram Monk 23, of no fixed address was found guilty of conspiracy to burgle.
He was handed six years and eight months. Four years for conspiracy to steal, with consecutive terms of two years and four months for conspiracy to burgle and four months for handling stolen goods.
Ram Monk got two years and eight months for conspiracy to burgle.
This was made of two years for conspiracy to steal, another two years consecutive of conspiracy to burgle and another four years 11 months for attempted robbery and one month for criminal damage.
He got concurrent sentences of five months for weapons possession, 20 months for dangerous driving and five months for going equipped for theft.
Omar Tafat, 22, of Fulham, west London, admitted theft, going equipped to steal, criminal damage to a police car and breach of a criminal behaviour order, and was found guilty of two further counts of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon at trial.
Tafat got eight years and five months in jail – two years eight months for conspiracy to steal and four years and 11 months consecutive for attempted robbery and another month for criminal damage.
He got concurrent sentences of six months for weapons possession, four months for going equipped for theft and four and five months for two breaches of a Criminal Behaviour Order.
Ryan Moran, 26, of Fulham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to burgle and handling stolen goods. He was handed a 24 month suspended sentence.