Drug Money Launderers Caught With Cash In Bumper

Two money launderers, caught trying to smuggle drug cash totalling almost £300,000 in the bumper of their car, have dodged prison with suspended sentences.

They were watched by undercover investigators collecting the vehicle from two notorious Essex dealers – currently on the run from twenty-year prison sentences.

Carpet layer Anthony Leigh, 28, of Elmdon Road, South Ockendon and trainee electrician Louis Crawford, 22, of Southend Road, Rainham pleaded guilty to attempting to remove criminal property, namely £293,670 cash on August 2, 2010.

Prosecutor Mr Stuart Biggs told Croydon Crown Court (pictured): “This was drugs money and these two defendants were recruited to carry out the journey to Spain.”

The Seat Cordoba was observed leaving the home of one of the dealer’s in Werrington Road, Rainham and Leigh and Crawford were stopped en route to the Eurotunnel.

The vehicle was searched and the cash was discovered within a secret compartment hidden inside the bumper.

Both defendants denied knowledge of the money and waived all claims to it, but were observed the next day explaining what happened to the two dealers.

“That was probably the post mortem,” added Mr. Biggs. “The explanation to the two seniors as to what happened.”

Leigh and Crawford later claimed they believed the money only amounted to £10,000 and was for building work in Spain and the prosecution accepted this explanation.

“They were, however, taking an enormous risk it was more and they never looked inside the concealment,” added the prosecutor.

Driver Crawford also claimed he was offered the car for a discount if he completed the Spain run and Leigh had arranged insurance and purchased the Eurotunnel tickets.

Judge Simon Pratt told the defendants: “You have both come perilously close to starting sentences of imprisonment.

“What saves you is the prosecution accepting your basis of plea, where they accept you thought you were only taking out ten thousand pounds and neither of you had any idea it was drugs money.

“Those who ferry about criminal property must know they will be dealt with severely.”

Leigh and Crawford were both sentenced to ten months imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to complete 150 hours community service and pay £500 costs each.

The drug dealers, a 62 year-old Rainham man and a 58 year-old Waverley man skipped bail during their trial and were sentenced in their absence.

They are still wanted and warrants have been issued for their arrest.

Spiritual Healer-To-The-Stars Jailed For Fondling Migraine Client

A spiritual healer-to-the-stars has been jailed for 15 months for subjecting a female client - seeking treatment for agonising migraines - to three sordid sex ordeals in which he ordered her to strip naked and fondled her.

Ex-Croydon councillor Graham Dare, 57, who proclaims himself the U.K.'s number one clairvoyant boasts a celebrity client list, which includes actress Joely Richardson; Eastenders star Tamzin Outhwaite; tv presenter's Melinda Messenger, Kate Thornton and Michaela Strachan; Emmerdale star Adele silva and Sky's Lisa Aziz.

Dare, (pictured) of Taymount Rise, Forest Hill, boss of Sensitives Clinic, 31 Hatton Garden, Farringdon denied, but was convicted on three counts of sexual assault.

"This was a wholesale abuse of your position as a healer," Blackfriars Crown Court Judge Aidan Marron QC told the defendant.

"The young Japanese student sought your professional assistance because of persistent migraines.

"You treated her at least initially and secured her trust, but thereafter you abused your position, touching her, massaging the intimate parts of her body for long periods, ultimately using your mouth all over her body for sexual gratification.

"You convinced this young woman, who I consider to be enormously naive, that a proper therapy was for her to massage you.

"Your behaviour was a gross breach of trust designed exclusively for your sexual gratification.

"I accept you have done much good work, but I am afraid your exploitation of this young woman was nothing less than disgraceful.

"You have demonstrated not a morsel of remourse and your victim was forced to give evidence and relive her awful experiences."

The court heard how he 'groomed' the 31 year-old Japanese student during the first three genuine appointments and waived his usual £95 per hour fee until her migraines disappeared.

"The defendant abused his position, he was building up this young lady's confidence and trust in him," prosecutor Miss Heather Stangoe told the jury, explaining the abuse began during a fourth appointment on September 14, last year.

"He asked her to take off all of her clothes and although thinking this was unusual she thought it must have been part of the treatment.

"He said the clothes were getting in the way of spiritual healing and she agreed to take hers off, including her underwear, and lied down covered in a towel.

"The defendant's hands moved towards her crotch and he touched her pubic bone and the outer lips of her vagina, which he told her was necessary to connect with energy levels flowing from her spine.

"She was wriggling in discomfort," added Miss Stangoe, but believing the treatment was genuine booked another appointment for September 16.

"The defendant told her to remove her clothes and began to touch her and this time was more focussed on her crotch and while pressing her pubic bone with one hand touched her left nipple with the other.

"This was no genuine treatment, this defendant was sexually assaulting a vulnerable woman while continuing to claim he was a genuine practitioner."

The victim returned on September 20, but insisted keeping her knickers on.

"He said she would have to take her bra off because it was interfering with her spine and said he would have to use his mouth on her," explained Miss Stangoe.

"He said the mouth was a sensitive organ and ten times more effective in treatment and began to put his lips on her hands, arms, legs and abdomen while making a funny noise the complainant thought was all part of the healing process.

"This lasted thirty minutes and by now she was extremely anxious to put her clothes back on, but the defendant told her it was her turn to perform healing on him.

"The defendant took all his clothes off, wrapped a towel around his hips, and asked this young lady to touch him on the body and she placed her hands on his arms and abdomen.

"She began to notice his abdomen area was heaving, but remained convinced the treatment, although unusual, was genuine.

"However, she saw something on his inner thigh that she believed was semen and became terrified and wanted to get out of that clinic as soon as possible."

The complainant made an appointment for the next day, which she later cancelled and after obtaining advice from another spiritualist who dismissed Dare's methods called the police.

When questioned by officers Dare, who has been a spiritualist for over a decade and charges £375 for home visits and £1,256 for one-week residential healing treatments, insisted there was no abuse.

"He denied touching her genitals or nipple or touching her body with his mouth," said Miss Stangoe. "He said she requested to learn the techniques and he allowed her to perform the treatment on him and denied being aroused or ejaculating.

"The Crown say the defendant chose this Japanese lady because she had poor English and was vulnerable and went on to assault her."

The complainant told the jury Dare performed full body massages on her for thirty to sixty minutes, after telling her to strip naked. "He explained to me this was the way to connect the energy flow.

"I did not like what he was doing to me, but because he was serious about his treatments I wanted to tell him nicely.

"I did not want to offend him because he was not going to charge me until my migraines had gone. Looking back the whole thing sounds very strange

On his website, which is how the complainant discovered him, Dare claims heat permanently radiates from his hands and his healing energy has cured patients, where conventional medical therapy has failed.

He says he has communicated with the spirit of the Princess of Wales and also offers contact with the deceased and tarot and palm readings and hires himself out for stag and hen nights as well as other parties and promotions.

Dare claims to help current artists with advice from dead legends such as Picasso and Van Gough, which he can also claims he can extend to other professions such as fashion and design.

He was healing group leader at Battersea Spiritualist Church from 2000 to 2003, where he was also president in 2000, was a school governor, a Croydon councillor and a youth offending community panel chairman.

The Miss England pageant organiser also stood as the English Democrats Lewisham mayoral candidate last year.

Twenty-Two Year Hunt For 'Southwark Rapist' Is Over

A serial violent sexual predator dubbed the ‘Southwark Rapist’ will spend the rest of his life behind bars for a series of notorious attacks on elderly women in their homes.

Michael John Roberts, 45, (pictured) of St. James Road, Southwark, received the whole life sentence for a series of crimes in the late 80’s and early 90’s against women aged between 57 and 83.

He was convicted of three rapes; two indecent assaults; one buggery; two counts of grievous bodily harm and four burglaries.

He was arrested as the result of a cold case review conducted by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Specialist Crime Review Group.



Between December 1988 and June 1990 Roberts committed a series of violent burglaries, raping, beating and indecently assaulting lone women in their homes.



Each of the victims lived less than a mile from his home address and a former address in nearby Gaywood Street – some much closer.

He inflicted extreme violence on all of his victims, including a 57 year-old woman on Boxing Day 1988, who he raped and left with a broken jaw and fractured eye socket.

No suspect was successfully identified until a DNA match with Roberts was made in 2005.

At the time he was serving a life sentence for the brutal robbery and assault of an elderly man in his home in Lee, Lewisham.



Detective Inspector Nathan Eason of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command said: “Michael Roberts had no regard for the lives of others, and picked on those least able to defend themselves.

“In the late Eighties he went even further by committing vile sexual attacks which are beyond most peoples comprehension.”



Outside Southwark Crown Court, DI Eason read a statement on behalf of the victims families, which red: “Roberts is a sexual predator who preyed on the elderly in Southwark during the late Eighties and early Nineties. 



“Unfortunately none of his victims lived to see him brought to justice today.



“The families have expressed a deep satisfaction with the sentence handed down today and they have asked that thanks be given to officers from the Specialist Crime Review Group and recognize that the work of ex Detective Chief Inspector Brian Bowden-Brown was significant in bringing Roberts to justice. 



“They would also like to thank the Forensic Science Service, the police investigation team, the prosecution counsel and the jury.



“They take great satisfaction in knowing that Roberts will never be able to devastate another life.”

Vile Paedophile Predator Caged Again

A notorious paedophile – caged after being identified via his freckled hand abusing Asian girls on video – has received ten years after more victims reported him to police.

Dean Hardy, 52, (pictured) was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court of three charges of indecent assault on a boy aged under 16 and gross indecency with a boy aged under 14.

The sickening attacks occurred between 1984 and 1991.

Hardy was jailed for six years in 2009 after admitting abusing young girls in Thailand and Cambodia.

In a highly-publicised prosecution forensic anthropology proved distinctive freckles on the fingers of a hand seen in abuse images were the same as Hardy’s.

Four more victims contacted police and three provided statements. 



The sentencing judge told Hardy he is a man who is a danger to the public and a man who needs to be kept away from children.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh of the Paedophile Unit said: “I would like to thank the media for their coverage of this case which encouraged UK victims of Hardy to come forward.

“The case demonstrates that we are constantly looking at new and innovative techniques to capture and imprison paedophiles.

“The message is clear to paedophiles; we will be relentless in bringing you to justice, the passage of time - even if it is decades - is no guarantee that your crimes will not be solved. 



“Most of all I would like to say thank you to our very brave victims, without your patience and support Hardy would not have been convicted.

“We appreciate how difficult it was to go through two trials. 



“We have reason to believe Hardy may have committed offences against young male and female victims.

“We would urge anyone who believes they may have been a victim to have the confidence to report the incident to police.

“We are here to support and protect you.”


The investigation team can be contacted direct on 020 71612811.



Alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111; ChildLine on 0800 1111 or report the matter to your local police station; or inform a teacher or trusted individual.

Selfridges Smash-And-Grab Sledgehammer Suspect Sent-Down

A smash-and-grab sledgehammer robber, whose gang snatched £300,000 worth of watches from landmark West End store Selfridges, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Michael Sharpe, 40, (pictured) of Roe Stock Gardens, Holloway, North London was only caught after his tell-tale DNA was found at another similar raid in Northampton over four years later.

He pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to burgling Selfridges on December 29, 2006 and the sentence will be added to the six-and-a-half years he received for the Northampton raid.

Three high-powered motorbikes pulled up outside the department store at 2:30am and three pillion passengers smashed a side door window and entered, snatching the watches.

DNA was found on the sledgehammer the gang left behind, which was later matched to Sharpe’s DNA when he was arrested for the Northampton offence, which took place on February 7, last year.

Detective Inspector Bob Currie of Westminster Crime Squad said: “This conviction, even five years after the offence, shows that police will continue to pursue offenders until they are caught and brought to justice. 



“Thanks to the hard work and support of our colleagues in Northamptonshire Police we were able to link the suspect to the scene of the crime in Oxford Street and put him before the courts.”

Masked Raiders Admit Brutal Knifepoint £10K Pizza Robbery

Two masked knife-wielding robbers, who stabbed a have-a-go pizza takeaway boss while snatching £10,000 takings, were told today they will be locked-up for the “very serious” crime.

Shop worker Ahmed Yasin, 20, of Prince Rupert Road, Eltham and jobless Norbert Facuna, 20, of Ampleforth Road, Abbey Wood were remanded in custody until February 9 for sentencing.

Both pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to robbing the manager of Domino’s Pizza, Upper Wickham Lane, Welling (pictured) on November 7 of a quantity of cash.

The 30 year-old victim was stabbed a total of eight times – receiving seven puncture wounds to his arms and one to his back – during the morning raid.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to wounding, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and possessing offensive weapons and the prosecution will not proceed on those counts.

Prosecutor Miss Shamini Jayanathan told the court: “The store manager was adding up the takings of approximately ten thousand pounds when both defendants burst into his office wearing masks and with two twelve inch kitchen knives.

“One pulled the CCTV system out of the wall and the other snatched the money.

“The store manager tried to stop them and was stabbed several times and then gave chase, but lost them.”

Fortunately, a suspicious member of the public, alerted by the duo’s behaviour called the police and they were arrested outside Facuna’s house with the stolen money, which they tried to dump.

The store manager was rushed to hospital and treated for his injuries and one of the knives was recovered near the scene of the robbery.

Judge A Lees told the defendants: “Obviously you will receive custodial sentences. It seems this was a very serious matter and the issue of your dangerousness will need to be assessed.”

Police Celebrate £1M-Plus Drug Seizure In Underground Car Park

Police smashed a huge cannabis-supply enterprise when seizing over £1 million worth of the drugs from a North London underground car park.

Last Monday a suspicious member of the public raised the alarm and officers confiscated 270 kilos of the drug in Crondall Street, Islington.

A 31 year-old man was arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs and taken to Hackney Police Station.

Police in Hackney borough have seized 270 kilos of cannabis with a street value of more than one million pounds.

The drugs were found in a lock-up, which contained herbal cannabis and cannabis resin wrapped in cling film in five large laundry holders, two holdalls and several shopping bags.

Police also seized a set of scales, a heat wrap machine an extra quantity of cling film and another block of resin in a nearby vehicle.

Detective Inspective Rhys Willis of Operation Bantam, said: “These drugs were clearly being stored to be divided up and sold on and this is a good seizure for Hackney police that has taken a substantial quantity of illegal substances off the streets.”

Sweeney Hunt Empty-Handed Bank Robbers

Flying Squad detectives are hunting two bungling wannabe robbers, who snatched an empty cash box from security guards outside a South-West London bank.

Police were called to HSBC bank (pictured) in London Road, Twickenham at noon on January 5 after a guard was attacked and the box ripped from his grasp.

Two suspects, who disguised their identities with scarves wrapped around their faces, were involved and one pounced as a guard walked from his van to the bank.

They fled on foot and turned into nearby Holly Road, where a black getaway car was waiting.

The guard was treated by the ambulance service at the scene but was not taken to hospital.

The suspects are described as male, approximately 5’6” tall and of either mixed race or Asian appearance.

The driver of the getaway car was a white male.

Detective Constable Mick O'Mahony said: “We are appealing to anyone who was in or around the area of London Road at midday on Thursday January 5.

“Maybe you saw the incident or the moments before the incident? Maybe you saw the car make its getaway? If you think you did, then please call us. Your information could assist the investigation.”

Any witnesses or anyone with any information should call the Flying Squad on 020 8247 7931 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Million-Image Paedo Dodges Jail

A paedophile, caught with over one million sickening images of children – the largest-ever haul seized by the Metropolitan Police – has dodged jail with a suspended sentence today.

Robert James Barrow, 57, from Plaistow, East London was investigated by the Paedophile Unit, who raided his home.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh said: “The seizure of images from Barrow is the largest ever seen by my unit in relation to one individual.

“His activities were on an industrial scale. To put his collection in perspective, it would take three hundred and forty seven days to view the entire collection - allowing 30 seconds per image with no breaks.



“Possession of indecent images of children is not a victimless crime as each image possessed or distributed represents a child that has been sexually abused in order that the image can exist.

“The circulation of those images around the internet magnifies that abuse.”



The photographs found in Barrow’s possession included some deemed to be of the most serious nature; those categorised as being Level 5.



He is understood to have amassed the collection from a range of sources over a period of 15 years.

Detectives believe he used the pictures for his own gratification as well as sharing them with other like-minded individuals.



He was arrested after admitting to officers that he had images stored on his PC before they had even looked at his machine. 



Barrow pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court (pictured) to making indecent photographs on or before August 13, 2010, namely 245,513 stills and 84 movies.

He also admitted possessing to show or distribute indecent photos, namely 160,000 stills.

Barrow was sentenced to twelve months, suspended for two years, ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years, made subject to a Sexual Offenders Prevention Order and a three-month curfew.

Police Hunt BMW Hit-And-Run

Police have released this CCTV image of silver BMW involved in a serious hit-and-run incident a few hours into the New Year, which left a pedestrian fighting for his life.

The victim, 30, sustained a life-threatening head injury at 6.45am on January 1 in Kennington Lane, Kennington, South London when struck by the vehicle.

The unknown male driver of the BMW failed to stop.

Many potential witnesses celebrating the New Year were in the area and police are appealing for them to come forward.

They are also urging the driver of the vehicle to give himself up and asking for anyone who knows of a similar vehicle sustaining windscreen damage around this time to come forward.

Detective Sergeant Stephen Pidgeon said: “It is highly likely, given the enquiries made so far, that the driver is aware of the collision occurring. 



“I am confident that both he and the vehicle will be identified. It is clearly in the driver’s interests to contact us rather than waiting for us to locate him.”



Anyone with information is asked to contact either the witness line at Hampton Traffic garage on 020 8941 9011 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Armed Robber Behind Bars After Globe-Trotting Freedom Bid

An armed robber, who raided a North London off-licence with an accomplice who later murdered PC Sharon Beshenivsky, has been caged for 8 years after he was extradited from the U.S.

Mohamed Hassan, 24, (pictured) pleaded guilty to robbing Wineways, Holmstall Parade, Burnt Oak on April 22, 2005 with two accomplices.

He also admitted possessing a firearm, with intent to commit robbery and in a separate offence possessing crack cocaine, with intent to supply, on June 7, 2006 in Deansbrook Road, Edgware.

Muzzaker Shah, 30, was also charged with robbing the off-licence, but this was dropped after he was convicted of murdering the police officer, who was shot dead responding to an armed robbery.

Detective Constable Siân Newell of Finchley Flying Squad said: “Mohamed Hassan was involved in a particularly harrowing robbery.

“Two shots were fired by an accomplice and it was only luck that prevented anyone from being hurt.”

Three robbers entered the off-licence – one armed with a gun – and while one watched the door a third began empting the till of cash and the shelves of champagne.

A female employee came from the storeroom of the shop and pushed the robber away from the champagne, resulting in the gunman firing a round.

As the gang left the shop, the gunman pointed the firearm at the owner and fired a second shot, and again fortunately no one was injured.

Hassan was identified via fingerprints, but had fled to Egypt, which has no extradition treaty with the U.K.

Last year he was tracked to the USA and arrested in July and extradited to the U.K. in November.

The third suspect has never been brought to justice.

African Child Asylum-Seeker Grows Into Teen Rapist

A Congolese child asylum-seeker, who grew up to be a teenage rapist, was locked-up for four years today for attacking a 15 year-old girl at their school.

The 16 year-old A-level student, who cannot be identified, tricked the girl into a locked music room at their Catford school in South-East London and raped her after she rejected his persistent pleas for a date.

"He had persisted in trying to contact her for a sexual liaison," prosecutor Mr. Richard Milne told Croydon Crown Court (pictured). "She said: 'no' which made him angry and he continued texting to contrive a meeting.

"By the ruse of removing her folder from the dining area and then told she could collect it from the music room the victim ended up alone with the defendant.

"He had obtained security keys to the room and the door was shut behind the victim and he locked the door.

"He grabbed her around the hips and tried to put his hand under her skirt," explained the prosecutor. "She told him to stop, but he would not listen.

"He pulled down her knickers, she screamed and was telling him to stop, but he continued."

No racially-aggravated charges were brought in relation to the offence against the white victim.

The defendant denied, but was convicted by a jury of raping the girl, who was in court for the sentencing, during Easter term in 2010.

He was only five months old when his family fled Congo and were granted asylum after claiming the boy's father was involved in the country's civil war.

Outside court the defendant's mother, who has seven children complained: "He is black and the girl is white. That is why he was found guilty."

Judge Simon Pratt announced: "He got her up to the music room behind the locked door, where she was isolated and vulnerable.

"An aggravating feature is the amount of manipulation in persuading her upstairs into a room behind a locked door.

"The emotional legacy of what you did to her will be long-lasting."

The defendant was sentenced to four years detention and will have to sign the sex offender's register for a period to be decided.