"Habitual Thief" Jailed And Banned From Square Mile

A prolific crook, with 147 offences to his name, has started an eighteen month prison sentence for breaking into retail shops in the City of London.

Paul McKenna, 29, struck a bakery; pharmacy and dry cleaners in just over a week, snatching approximately £1,000 in cash from the tills.

The burglaries occurred between August 27 and September 7, last year.

He was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court for the three Square Mile break-ins, plus two similar offences in Hackney, east London.

The court banned him from the City of London for five years by making a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), prohibiting McKenna entering the Square Mile.

Detective Constable Ufuk Ekbic said: “McKenna is a habitual thief, not just in the City, but all across London. 

“Thanks to some good work by our officers, who spotted him and quickly arrested him, he is now facing the consequences for his latest crimes.

“As well as bringing criminals to justice, we also aim to get the highest harm, most prolific offenders banned from the Square Mile. 

“In this instance, McKenna has been banned from the City of London for five years.”

A few days after the third burglary, City of London Police officers spotted McKenna in the City, recognising him from CCTV footage, and quickly arrested him.

Suspected Gunman Arrested After Threat

Police seized this gun after a woman in east London was threatened with the weapon and retaliation from “the boys”.

Police were called in the early hours of Wednesday, December 30, last year by a terrified young woman, who reported she had been threatened by a male.

The suspect produced the firearm from his man-bag, after a meeting at a residential address in Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets.

The man brandished it at her and menaced her, warning that he would return again later with “the boys”.

Around 24 hours later, after a series of successful enquiries, a 28-year-old suspect was tracked down to an address in nearby Bow.

Armed officers carried out a warrant and recovered a silver handgun, ammunition, and a quantity of suspected class A drugs.

Detective Sergeant Charlie Leather, of the Metropolitan Police's Trident command, said: “Thanks to the prompt actions taken by officers we have removed another dangerous weapon from the streets that could have been used to potentially injure or kill someone.

"The victim in this incident has been left understandably very shaken by her experience.”

If you have any information about someone you suspect may be carrying a knife or other weapon, contact Crimestoppers 100 per cent anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A man was arrested and taken into police custody. 

St. Pancras Sex Attack: Can You ID Suspect?

A lone woman has been molested in the early hours behind St. Pancras International railway station as she was walking home.

Police have released this CCTV image of their suspect as the hunt to capture him continues.

The incident occurred on Friday, September 11, at approximately 2.35am.

The victim, a woman in her twenties, was making her way home after meeting a friend. 

She was walking through Pancras Square when she suddenly became aware of the presence of an unknown male, who had begun to follow her.

The man proceeded to approach her before subjecting the woman to a sexual assault.

The victim managed to flee her attacker and security officers were able to alert police.

Detectives are keen to identify and speak to this man captured on CCTV around the time of the incident.

He is a white male, around 5 foot 7 inches in height, who was wearing a black puffer jacket, light blue jeans, and black shoes.

Detective Constable Lauren Ebert, from the Metropolitan Police's Central North safeguarding team, said: “The victim in this incident suffered a terrifying ordeal after a night out.

“We are requesting the public’s help to identify the man pictured above. 

“If you recognise this man, please come forward and speak to us, no matter how insignificant you may think it is.

“You can do so by calling police on 101, quoting CAD834/11SEP20, or by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.” 

Burglar With Champagne Tastes Caught On CCTV

Police are hunting this suspected burglar after a couple's Islington home was ransacked and their stolen bank card used to buy a bottle of Champagne.

Officers have released this shop CCTV image taken in Southgate Road of the masked suspect using the card minutes after the break-in.

On December 18 at 2.50pm the couple, a man in his 30's and a woman in her 20's popped out for half an hour.

When they returned home they found their front door had been forced and £3,000 worth of property stolen, including a Whyte Portobello bike; Maltese gold cross pendant and chain; Christmas presents; a MacBook Pro and cash. 

After buying the Dom Perignon Champagne with the stolen card the suspect left on an electric scooter in the direction of Hackney, where he attempted to buy another bottle of Champagne with the stolen card.

The suspect is described as a white man, aged between 20 and 30-years old, of a slim, muscular build. 

He was wearing a light coloured hooded top under a Canada Goose jacket, grey jogging bottoms and a red baseball cap.

Police Constable Zak Tallis, from Central North Basic Command Unit, said: “This burglary has impacted the victims severely.”

Anyone who can identify the man shown in the image or knows of the whereabouts of the stolen property should call police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting Cad 4636/18DEC.

To remain 100% anonymous contact Crimestoppers at crimestoppers_uk.org or call 0800 555 111.

Drug Dealer Had £3m Worth Of Cocaine

A man has been jailed after specialist officers found more than £3 million worth of cocaine in the boot of his car.

Sam Migliorini, 32, of Shaw Avenue, Barking received eight years and three months’ imprisonment.

He pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession of Class A drugs, with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command stopped a grey Smart car between junction 24 and 25 on the M25 on Thursday, October 1 as part of a proactive operation.

Driver Migliorini was detained and taken to a car park nearby off the A10 in Enfield. 

Officers searched Migliorini, and the car, and found a large black holdall in the boot, which contained 30 one kilogram blocks of cocaine – estimated to have a street value of £3million. 

The blocks were labelled ‘C.E.N.G – Cartel Ecuador Nueva Generacion’.

In the Smart car officers found the vehicle contained a sophisticated hide, which ran the width of the car, underneath the front passenger seat and driver's seat.

The hide was operated via a magnet being placed on the centre console below the gearstick. 

This then lifted up the front passenger seat to reveal the hide, which was empty.

An encrypted mobile phone was also found inside the vehicle. 

As part of their enquiries, officers carried out a search warrant at Migliorini’s home address in Barking. 

When Migliorini was arrested, he had a Mercedes car key and what officers suspected was a safe key in his possession.

As detectives arrived at his home address, they saw a grey Mercedes leave. 

The vehicle was found shortly after, parked up and unattended in Shaw Avenue near the address.

The Mercedes key which Migliorini had on him opened the vehicle. 

Detectives searched the car and found a safe in the boot. 

The other key Migliorini had on him opened the safe and officers found about £15,000 in cash inside.

Detective Sergeant Gemma Brown, from the Specialist Crime Command, said: “This was a significant seizure of Class A drugs and this a great example of how officers are tirelessly working to disrupt the supply of drugs.

“The people who are involved in the supply of drugs clearly have very little regard for the chaos of violence that comes with it. 

“Seizures such as this stop drugs reaching the streets of London, where they have the potential to cause great harm to people and communities.

“Criminals who think they can use things such as hides and encrypted devices to evade capture are wrong – you will be caught and brought to justice.”

Woman Racially-Abused And Assaulted: Do You Know This Man?

Police are hunting this suspected race thug after a woman was attacked in the early hours outside a shop in west London.

The victim, a 37-year-old woman, was attacked by a group of men outside a grocery shop and was racially abused and needed hospital treatment for ahead injury.

The incident occurred at the eastern end of Kilburn Lane, Maida Vale – near Queens Park railway station - at around 3.00am on December 22, last year.

The investigation is ongoing and detectives have released this picture of a man they want to identify and speak to. 

He is a white man, believed to be aged between 28 and 35 years-old, 5ft 10in tall and of average build. 

He had a short beard and was wearing a flat cap and black coat at the time of the incident.

If you recognise him or have any information about this incident, please call police on 101 quoting CAD 1172/22DEC19. 

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Leyton Stabbing: Do You Know This Suspect?

Police are hunting this suspected knifeman, who repeatedly stabbed a stranger in the street while demanding money.

On Saturday, June 1, last year at around 6.50pm, officers on patrol in Midland Road, Leyton, were flagged down and alerted to a 28-year-old man who had been stabbed multiple times in the chest, hands and wrist.

London Ambulance Service attended and he was taken to hospital. Fortunately, his injuries did not prove fatal.

Officers believe the attack took place outside a house in nearby Wesley Road, close to the junction with Leigh Road. 

The victim was walking along when he was approached by a man who is described as black, of stocky build and with his hair in short plaits.

The suspect is alleged to have stabbed the victim multiple times while demanding money. 

He is then said to have picked up a brown leather holdall type bag and walked along Leigh Road in the direction of Abbots Park Road.

Detective Constable Nicola Cross, of North East Area CID, said: “This was a brazen attack on a residential street in broad daylight that left a man in hospital with serious injuries.

“We are fortunate that the man we want to speak to has been caught on CCTV. 

“I believe that anyone who knows this man will be able to recognise him from the footage and the image we’re releasing today.

“If you are able to tell us who he is, or if seeing the footage makes you remember something you saw on that evening in June, I would urge you to come forward.”

Anyone who can assist officers is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD6504/01JUN19.

No detail you might have is too small - every bit of information helps towards the fight against knife crime in London.

If you don’t want to speak to the police, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

They are a totally independent charity and you remain 100 per cent anonymous, they never ask your name and they cannot trace your call, your IP address or the device you use. 

Alternatively, visit their website.

Mugger Killed Beloved Pet Dog During Violent Watch-Snatch

Police are hunting a vicious mugger, whose violent watch-snatch led to the death of a beloved pet dog owned by the victims.

On August 4 in Spanish Place, Manchester Square, Marylebone the masked attacker, who was also gloved, pounced on the married couple.

The 56 year-old man and 36 year-old woman were walking their two dogs, including Norfolk Terrier Rufus, at 4.18pm when they were attacked.

The suspect was pushing his pedal cycle on the footpath when he stopped the couple. 

He forcibly removed the man’s watch causing scratches to his forearm. 

He continued to struggle with the man, which led his wife to try to pull the suspect off him. 

The woman was violently pushed to the ground, landing on their Rufus, who died shortly afterwards.

The altercation between the suspect and the man continued, with the suspect being repeatedly punched in the face.

The victim tried to follow the robber, who punched him in the face again in Hinge Street. 

Shortly afterwards he lost track of the suspect as he fled on the bicycle through Duke Street, towards Selfridges.

The victims were taken by officers to a London veterinary clinic where they said goodbye to their dog. 

The victims were then taken home by the officers.

Detective Inspector Lee Hannant, of West Area Command Unit said: “This was an unprovoked and unacceptable attack that has left the victims shocked and upset. 

“The attack has led to the needless death of the victims’ well-loved dog.

“I’d ask anyone who recognises the man in the image released today to get in touch. 

“If you know what happened, or even if you think you saw anything suspicious or out of place, please call us without delay and report what you know.

Anyone who witnessed this incident or has information that could assist the investigation should contact police by dialling 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 5415/04Aug.

To remain anonymous visit Crimestoppers_uk.org or call Crimestoppers on 0500 555 111.

Merry Christmas To All Our Readers

Happy Christmas everybody!

We hope all of our readers all over the world are having a day of peace today.

Thank-you all for continuing to check-in to Square Mile News and please continue to do so in 2021.

We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a better New Year.

'Influential Black Briton' Caught Drink-Driving In Rolls Royce

Dean Forbes leaving court

A businessman named on JP Morgan’s Powerlist of influential black Britons has been caught drink-driving in his £150,000 Rolls Royce.

Business software entrepreneur Dean Forbes, 42, a former Crystal Palace FC trainee, was stopped for speeding in the black 6.6 litre luxury car.

He appeared at Bromley Magistrates Court today, where he pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol on his breath in Bickley Road, Bickley, south-east London on December 22.

Forbes, who lives in a £3m detached house in the exclusive Keston Park gated community, had 41 micrograms of alcohol in his breath.

The legal limit is 35.

He was the chief executive of CoreHR, which was bought for £180m earlier this year by Access Group, where Forbes is now the President of its people division.  

On being named on the 2021 list he said: “I’m honoured to be named to the Powerlist, to stand alongside such outstanding individuals from the black community.

“Race, inclusion and representation matter and this list is an excellent showcase of the brilliance that exists in the black community and demonstrates the broad and powerful contribution being made by these individuals to society and the UK economy.”

Dressed casually in a blue v-neck jumper and jeans Forbes was unrepresented during the hearing and gave no explanation as to why he was over the drink-drive limit.

Prosecutor Sudara Weerasena told the court: “Officers were in the area and stopped the defendant’s car because they observed him speeding.

“They spoke to him and he admitted having alcohol earlier that day and he failed a roadside breath-test.”

When asked his income by District Judge Vanessa Lloyd to calculate the fine Forbes told the court he makes £50,000 per year.

“You pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and are of good character,” she told him, fining him £400, with £85 costs and a £40 victim surcharge.

Forbes was also disqualified from driving for twelve months.

A female companion, believed to be his wife, drove Forbes away from court in a black 3.9 litre £200,000 Ferrari, which has a matching personalised number plate to his Rolls Royce.

The globe-trotting businessman’s social media is full of photos of himself with sporting personalities like Rio Ferdinand and Ian Wright, plus rapper Kanye West.

He also attends the worlds leading sporting events, including Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, the Monaco Grand Prix, the French Open and when in the USA games at the NBA’s Miami Heat, MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and MLS’ New York Red Bulls.

After missing out on a professional contract at Crystal Palace Forbes and his disabled mother were made homeless and spent a year living in temporary shelters in south London.

After landing a telesales job at Motorola he worked his way up a number of IT companies, eventually becoming head of international operations at software specialists Primavera, which was bought-out by Oracle.

He was the youngest Vice-President at Oracle in thirty years and went on to be the CEO of KDS, which was bought out by American Express while he was at the helm.