Graf Jewellers: Attempted Murder Charge

An alleged gunman charged with attempted murder in connection with the £40m Graf jewellery raid – the most valuable gems heist in British criminal history – appeared in court today (Monday).

Aman Kassaye, 24, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court to appear at Kingston Crown Court on September 22.

He has also been charged with conspiracy to rob, unlawful imprisonment and unlawfully possessing a firearm, namely a handgun.

Shots were fired during the robbery at Graff Jewellers,(pictured above) New Bond Street, Mayfair on August 6.

He will be joined by David Joseph, 22, of Flaxman Road, Camberwell, charged with conspiracy to rob.

Six other men, also charged with conspiracy to rob, will appear at the same court on October 23.

They are: Craig Calderwood, 26, of no fixed address; Waiter Solomun Beyne, 24, of Lilestone Street, St. John’s Wood; Doorman Jamal Mogg, 42, of Westby Road, Bournemouth; Gregory Jones, 29, of Elgin Avenue, Harrow; Courtney Lawrence, 30, of Ladbroke Grove, North Kensington and Benjamine McFarlane, 21, of Paveley Street, St. John's Wood.  

Calderwood and Beyne also face one firearms charge each, namely possessing a handgun on August 6.

They were originally arrested and charged by Barnes Flying Squad detectives.

Former business and marketing student Beyne is employed at his Ethiopean parents’ Millennium coffee shop in West Hampstead.

Forty-three pieces, including watches, necklaces and earrings, were snatched during the daring raid – Britain’s biggest ever jewellery robbery.

Ex-Squaddie's 'Kettle' Boil-Over

A former Northern Ireland squaddie “kettled” by riot cops during the violent G20 protest in the City of London hurled his rucksack at police lines after spending five hours penned in at the Bank of England.

Jobless lorry driver William Harvey, 44, of Argyl Avenue, Hounslow pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour towards police officers in Cornhill on April 1 and was bound over to keep the peace for twelve months in the sum of £250 and was ordered to pay £50 costs.

“He is particularly embarrassed because previously he was trained in defusing volatile situation having served in Northern Ireland,” Harvey’s lawyer Mr. Niall Hearty told City of London Magistrates’ Court.

Harvey was the only one of twenty-eight defendants appearing on G20-related charges to plead guilty.

Prosecutor Mr. Edmund Hall told JP’s: “Mr. Harvey was seen by a police evidence gatherer and recorded on CCTV throwing a rucksack over police lines. It landed in an empty space.

“He was about ten rows back at the time and not in the melee and when he was arrested about four hours later said he was frustrated and threw the rucksack containing a towel and his wallet.”

Mr. Hearty said: “He intended to take part in a peaceful gathering that day, but found himself penned in by the Bank of England.

“He found it very frustrating. He was kettled in for five hours with large numbers of people and was unable to go to the toilet.”

Harvey, like many other demonstrators claims he was the victim of police brutality. “Another protester was struck by a police officer and as he bent down to assist he was struck by the police,” explained Mr. Hearty.

“He is the only defendant who has pleaded guilty today and taken responsibility for his actions. He was not intending to hurt any police officers. It was an act of sheer frustration.”

Sixteen G20 Protesters Appear

A further sixteen April 1 G20 protesters appeared at City of London Magistrates Court – bringing the total to twenty-eight - and all either pleaded not guilty or will face jury trial on a variety of charges stemming from clashes with riot police. 

Jobless Darren Withers, 28, of Crayigton Road, Glasgow is charged with entering the Royal Bank of Scotland, Bartholomew Lane, with intent to cause unlawful criminal damage.

It is alleged Withers was caught on CCTV reaching through a smashed window and pushing papers from a desk onto a small blaze started by protesters inside the building.

He was bailed unconditionally until October 22 for Crown Court committal after JP’s declined jurisdiction.

Pedro Arisi, 25, of Seven sisters Road, Finsbury Park, pleaded not guilty to assaulting police constable Zoe Judd and was bailed unconditionally to return for trial on December 21.

Mathew Boden, 24, of Park Road, Hornsey, who pleaded not guilty to threatening behaviour in Queen Victoria Street towards PC Ashcroft, was bailed unconditionally until October 15 to set a trial date.

He claims he was the victim of police brutality and it is accepted he suffered a head wound and was filmed near the police line with blood pouring down his face.

Pascal Bouzenard, 39, of Alvington Crescent, Hackney is charged with violent disorder and was bailed until September 24.

Harvey Brown, 30, of Cathcart Road, Glasgow is charged with violent disorder in Threadneedle Street and was bailed unconditionally until October 15 when he will be committed to the Crown Court.

It is alleged Brown kicked a police officer in the groin and JP’s declined jurisdiction.

Antonio Costa, 31, of Richmond Road, Hackney is charged with violent disorder and was bailed unconditionally to return on October 22 for Crown Court committal.

He is accused of throwing a green glass lager bottle, which smashed against the side of a police vehicle.

Greek national Christos Filinis, 29, employed by the British Council in Athens is charged with violent disorder in Queen Victoria Street.

He is accused of throwing an unidentified missile at the backs of police who were walking away from him and was bailed unconditionally to return on October 15 for Crown Court committal after JP’s declined jurisdiction.

Jeremiah Spillane, 29, of Lisieux Park, Cork City, Ireland is charged with violent disorder and was bailed unconditionally to return on October 29 for Crown Court committal.

It is alleged he threw a glass bottle, which shattered against a police officer’s helmet.

John Turner, 54, of Hallam Fields Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, is charged with violent disorder and possessing a police baton as an offensive weapon in Cornhill.

Prosecutor Mr. Edmund Hall, the reviewing CPS lawyer for the entire G20 prosecutions, dropped a charge of stealing the baton.

Turner, accused of striking a helmeted police officer over the head with the baton, was bailed unconditionally to return on October 15 for Crown Court committal after JP’s declined jurisdiction

Michael Wells, 50, of Rutland Gardens, Finsbury Park, charged with causing  £1,200 worth of criminal damage to an ITN camera during a live news broadcast was bailed until September 24.

Huw Norfolk, 22, of Robertson Road, Bristol, is charged with possessing a tin of red spray paint and a marker pen in Paternoster Square on April 2 with intent to destroy or damage property.

He elected Crown Court trial and was bailed unconditionally until October 22 for committal.

Daniel Simmons, 18, of Selwyn Road, Cambridge is charged with violent disorder and was bailed unconditionally until October 22 for Crown Court committal after JP’s declined jurisdiction.

It is alleged he is caught on CCTV at the Royal Bank of Scotland, Bartholomew Lane kicking at a window and spray-painting ‘Burn’ on the building wall near a small blaze protesters had started inside and then kicking out at police lines.

Gary Cole, 18, of King Henry’s Drive, New Addington, Croydon, pleaded not guilty to causing criminal damage to two police vehicles and was bailed unconditionally to return on December 14 for trial.

Phillip Georgopoulos, 26, of Prestonville road, Brighton is charged with violent disorder and was bailed until September 24.

It is alleged he threw scaffold brackets during the height of the disturbances.

Couple Lee Jenkins, 37, and Karen Smith, 45, of Prudential Buildings, Above Bar Street, Southampton are jointly charged with violent disorder in Cornhill and were both bailed unconditionally until October 29 for Crown Court committal.

Jenkins was allegedly captured on CCTV punching and kicking the front line of police and Smith is accused of attacking the police officer that arrested him.

G20 'Armoured Car 11' Deny Charges

Eleven protesters arrested for allegedly driving an armoured car into the City of London while dressed as police during the G20 mass protest earlier this year all pleaded not guilty when they appeared in court.

All the defendants are charged with impersonating a special constable or member of a police force on April 1, with intent to deceive, contrary to Section 90 (1) of the Police Act 1996.

They are each also charged with wearing an article of police uniform including NATO helmets and blue overalls so nearing that of a member of a police force as to be calculated to deceive contrary to Section 90 (2) of the Police Act 1996.

They were allegedly part of a group of G20 activists stopped near the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The six-wheel Alvis Saracen, (pictured above) a model once used by the British Army in Northern Ireland, was emblazoned with the word 'Riot' and police-style black and white chequered livery.

They are: Jessica Barter, 19, of St. Andrew’s Road, Plaistow; Leah Borromeo, 30, of Sprules Road, Brockley; Stephen Gibbens, 21, of Allington Circle, Kingsmead, Milton Keynes; Paul Hardcastle, 23, of Bellenden Road, Peckham; Mohammed Hayder, 25, of Hooke House, Gernon Road, Bow.

Stephen Jewkes, 28, of Bellenden Road, Peckham; Suzan Keen, 41, of Parkside Estate, Rutland Road, Homerton; David Parkhouse, 22, of Homerton High Street, Homerton; Robin Priestley, 32, of  Morrison Buildings North, Commercial Road, Stepney; Rebecca Walpole, 21, of Seaforth Road, Aberdeen and David Vannen, 38, of Upper Highway, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire.

They all pleaded not guilty to both counts at City of London Magistrates’ Court and have been bailed to appear on February 8 for a four-day trial before a District Judge at City of Westminster Magistrates Court.

£1m 'Boiler Room' Plot Alleged

The alleged administrator of a near £1m 'Boiler Room' conspiracy which allegedly duped investors into buying worthless shares appeared at City of London Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Christopher Fay, 62, of Holburne Road, Blackheath is charged with conspiring with others between March 1 2008 and April 24, 2009, within the Jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, to defraud investors by selling worthless shares.

Fay is also charged with entering into an arrangement which he knew or suspected facilitated the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property, and with acquiring criminal property, contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act, between the same two dates.

Fay, who allegedly received £300,000 into his account, was bailed to appear at Southwark Crown Court on September 7.

Mortgage Frauds On The Rise

City of London police has reported a 72% increase in cases of financial fraud driven by a jump in mortgage scams over the previous year.

The force said cases of mortgage fraud had reached double figures and were one of the largest areas of activity for its officers. 

The number of investigations is expected to increase over the next year as frauds came to light and lenders sought to recover their losses, it said.

Detective chief superintendent Steve Head, who leads the City of London's economic crime directorate, said mortgage fraud "was happening all over the country" and "has jumped from nothing 18 months ago to being one of the biggest areas of investigation".

"While the amounts of money we are dealing with are significant, I don't think we are seeing the full picture. It is a fraction of the amount of fraud that has taken place.

"It is the mortgage lenders that are hit by the crime and they usually see it first. It would be good if the lenders were coming forward more than they are at the moment," he added. 

Last year the Association of Chief Police Officers estimated that mortgage frauds rake in £700m a year.

"Greed is the driving factor in fraud," said Head. "There are some where there are family links, some cultural links and some where the only link is greed. But a valuer is a key figure in the process."

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is currently investigating 10 complaints of valuation fraud, several of them in conjunction with the City Police.

The Financial Services Authority has banned 65 mortgage brokers in the last three years for mortgage fraud and levied fines totalling more than £1m.

In some cases gangs would buy a property, typically in a large development, at a deliberately inflated price.

Once the purchases appeared on the Land Registry website, they would be used as a basis for subsequent valuations, enabling the fraudsters to obtain inflated mortgage applications on other homes, often in the same development.

So, if a property was valued at £250,000 but was only actually worth £200,000, the gang could pocket the spare £50,000 to fund further deposits or to remove offshore.

The gang would usually include a solicitor and surveyor "on the payroll" to ensure that the funds from the lender were siphoned off.

Frauds went undetected because, at the height of the boom, lenders were happy to hand out mortgages without carrying out their own due diligence but relying on third party valuations.

Five Remanded On £40m Graff Heist Charges

Five men accused of the £40m armed raid on Mayfair’s Graff jewelers appeared via video link at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday and were remanded in custody until October 23.

They are: Craig Calderwood, 26, of no fixed address; Waiter Solomun Beyne, 24, of Lilestone Street, St. John’s Wood; Doorman Jamal Mogg, 42, of Westby Road, Bournemouth; Gregory Jones, 29, of Elgin Avenue, Harrow and Courtney Lawrence, 30, of Ladbroke Grove, North Kensington.

All three are charged with conspiring to rob the prestigious New Bond Street store (pictured above) on August 6.

Calderwood and Beyne also face one firearms charge each, namely possessing a handgun on August 6.

They will be joined by a sixth man, 21 year-old Benjamine McFarlane, of Paveley Street, St. John's Wood, who was also charged with conspiracy to rob and was remanded in custody.

They were originally arrested and charged by Barnes Flying Squad detectives.

Former business and marketing student Beyne is employed at his Ethiopean parents’ Millennium coffee shop in West Hampstead.

Forty-three pieces, including watches, necklaces and earrings, were snatched during the daring raid – Britain’s biggest ever jewellery robbery.  

FSA Chairman A "Marxist"

The chairman of the Financial Services Authority, who described the City as "socially useless",has been branded a "Marxist" by the Association of British Insurers. Lord Turner of Ecchinswell makes an unlikely anti-capitalist - he's a former vice-chairman of the investment bank Merrill Lynch, but it takes one to know one, I suppose. His call in Prospect magazine for a reduction in the size of the financial sector, and for steps to eliminate high-risk practices had City bigwigs choking on their champagne.  If capitalism is to be saved from itself, it should listen - not that it is.  Lord Turner has been kicked all round the City by angry bankers and politicians.  Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said Turner was "crackers" for risking the City of London's standing as Europe's leading financial centre and The Association of British Insurers described his remarks as "Marxist". Angela Knight of the British Bankers' Association, interviewed on BBC, refused to believe he'd actually said what he said. "It's a race to see who will sack him first," said one City figure.

Fotball Yob's Boozy Race Rant

A racist football yob – thrown off a tube train with his rowdy pals after an all-day drinking session – hurled abuse at a member of staff and now faces being banned from soccer matches.

Christopher English, 27, of West Street, Havant, Portsmouth, spent the weekend behind bars after failing to turn up for his trial at City of London Magistrates’ Court.

He denied, but was convicted in his absence of racially aggravated threatening behaviour at Charing Cross Underground Station on August 31, last year.

He failed to appear for his February 9 trial and was arrested on a warrant at his home on August 21 and will return for sentencing and a potential football banning order on November 9.

The court heard English and a group of friends had traveled to the capital for the Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur match with the defendant downing eight pints of beer and two bottles of Smirnoff Ice.

Underground staff asked rowdy English to get off the train and he screamed at one of them:”Fuck off. Why are you interfering you Paki?”

Police were called and he was arrested.

English is also due to appear before Portsmouth Magistrates on September 1 to be sentenced for assault.

'Devout' Muslim's Greedy Cash Grab

A devout Muslim, who could not resist a “till bursting with cash” at the trendy ladies boutique she worked at, rang up twenty-five bogus refunds, pocketing £775, a court heard.

Student Aklima Begum, 19, of Messiter House, Barnsbury Estate, Islington, who studies English at City of Westminster College was caught on internal CCTV processing the phantom refunds.

She pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court to dishonestly abusing a position of trust with intent to gain, namely by generating false refunds for herself, between February 12 and July 21 at Warehouse, Blomfield Street.

Prosecutor Miss Regina Naughton told the court management at the store discovered a shortfall and after viewing CCTV saw Begum – who has a shoplifting caution – process refunds without the presence of a customer on five separate occasions.

When quizzed by police Begum confessed to repeating the fraud on twenty-five occasions, claiming she acted in “desperation” due to a lack on money.

Begum, wearing traditional Muslim dress and revealing only her face, has five brothers and sisters and a jobless father recovering from a heart attack.

Her lawyer Miss Joanne Lockston said her client supports herself through college with her family taking the rest of the money she earns. “She could not resist a till bursting with cash.”

The JP’s conditionally discharged Begum for eighteen months, ordering her to pay £775 compensation to the boutique plus £75 costs.

$40m U.N. Trio In Court

Two ex-United Nations consultants and a solicitor, accused of plotting to collect bribes in relation to a massive $40m pharmaceutical contract to an impoverished third-world country,have appeared at Southwark Crown Court.

Dutchmen Sijbrandus Arthur Scheffer,56, of West View Road, Swanley, Kent and Guido Gerbrant Bakker,35, of De Voortweg, Tandon, Netherlands are former consultants to the United Nations Development Programme.

Solicitor Patrick Neale Orr,41, of Beaconsfield Road, Surbiton, Surrey, is a partner in a West End Firm.

The three men appeared following a two-year investigation by the City of London Police’s Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit in relation to Global Fund Aid money overseen by the United Nations Development Programme and earmarked for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

All three are charged with conspiring together to corruptly obtain consideration between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2007 in regard to ensuring the award of a $40m contract to supply pharmaceuticals to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They also face two charges of conspiring to money launder between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2007 in relation to $400,000 and an unspecified sum.

Finally, all three are also charged with fraudulent trading between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007 in relation to H & C Consultants Ltd which traded for a fraudulent purpose, namely money laundering.

The trial, expected to last four months in Autumn 2010, involves 50,000 pages of documents, 7,000 exhibits and witnesses from the U.N. and overseas.

All three were bailed unconditionally to a date to be fixed.

Five Star Brawl At Mayfair Hotel

A romantic anniversary weekend at the luxurious Dorchester Hotel ended in a boozy brawl with security staff and police for a hot-headed Doncaster man, ordered to perform 100 hours community service work.

Robert Kilner, 36, of Middlegate had booked into the Five-Star £300-plus per night hotel in Mayfair’s Park Lane with his girlfriend to celebrate one year together.

However, a row erupted between the couple and three hotel security men bundled Kilner to the floor – breaking the defendant’s wrist – and police were called.

Kilner, whose suspended sentence for battery had only just expired, pleaded guilty to assaulting PC Andrew Scott on May 1 by recklessly kicking the bathroom door against the officer’s arm.

He pleaded not guilty to assaulting security guard Alfredo Jara with a single punch and the prosecution accepted this after the alleged victim failed to attend the trial.

Prosecutor Mr. Mervyn Burton told City of London Magistrates’ Court officers arrived and could hear Kilner hurling abuse towards his partner.

He was restrained and handcuffed and moved by police into the bathroom.

“He kicked the bathroom door which hit PC Scott’s hand and arm,” explained Mr. Burton. “There was no lasting injury.”

Kilner claims he kicked the door to adjust his painful position after being forced to lie handcuffed on his back with a fractured wrist. He later went to hospital with the injury.

In April last year Kilner received a jail term, suspended for twelve months for battery, and has a conviction for resisting police.

“It was part of an alcohol-fueled incident,” said Bench Chairwoman Talia Singer. “It clearly was a domestic incident which we take very seriously as well as an incident involving a police officer.”

The JP’s had also asked the probation service to examine alcohol use and anger management issues when assessing Kilner for community service work.

He was also ordered to pay £125 costs plus £50 compensation to PC Scott.

'Sir' Facing Schoolboy Sex Charges

A French and Latin schoolteacher accused of a two-year fondling campaign involving two eleven year-old boy pupils has appeared at City of London Magistrates’ Court.

Bearded and bespectacled Michael Anthony Gordon, 55, of Thrush Green, Harrow spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and was bailed unconditionally to return on September 22.

Magistrates declined jurisdiction on the charges which carry a fourteen-year maximum sentence and Gordon is expected to be committed to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Gordon faces fourteen specimen charges of sexually touching the boys, contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 on various dates between September 1, 2007 and April 9, 2009.

Barclays Bank Two In Court

Two men arrested by City of London Police on fraud charges outside a Barclays Bank branch have appeared in court and were bailed to return on October 14.

They are: Norbert Mapunde, 32, of 215 Powell Street, Wolverhampton and Vitalis Mudzviti, 29, of Flat 3, 12 Windsor Street South, Birmingham.

Zimbabwe-born Mapunde, a Wolverhampton University International Business Management student is charged with possessing Barclays Bank sort codes and a Barclays Connect Card for use in the course of or in connection with fraud in Old Broad Street, City of London on April 21.

Mudzviti is charged with possessing a £3,169 Royal Sun Alliance Insurance cheque and a £94.00 Macfarlane Labels Ltd. cheque at his home address on April 21, for use in the course of or in connection with fraud.

Crime Clan Clocks Up Another Conviction

A member of a notorious South London crime family – whose brother butchered two young French students – has clocked up yet another conviction for the brood.

Bernie Gerald Sonnex, 36, of Etta Street, Deptford, whose brother ‘Mad Dog’ Dano is serving life for murdering Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez was caught shoplifting.

He pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court to stealing £148 worth of clothing from Next at Liverpool Street Station on June 1 and will be sentenced at Woolwich Magistrates’ Court on September 9.

The family have over eighty convictions between them and Bernie (pictured above) has received 10 prison sentences for offences including robbery, witness intimidation and aggravated burglary.

Dad Bernard, 56, has been jailed six times for robbery, burglary, theft and drugs and firearms offences dating back decades.

Many of the 47 charges relate to protection rackets he has run on pubs and bars in New Cross and Deptford.

Sister Louise, 35, is serving five years for GBH after breaking the arm of her dad's girlfriend with a golf putter three weeks after the murders.

The mother of two was previously convicted of glassing a woman who claimed Bernie had raped her saying: "I'm going to open her up like a can of beans".

Even Dano's mother Kathy, 56, who boasts her favourite TV show is Channel 4's Shameless, has been found guilty of theft.

The 23 year-old French biochemistry students were stabbed a total of 224 by Sonnex, 23, and drug addict Nigel Farmer, 34, during a three-hour torture ordeal in Stirling Gardens, New Cross in June last year.

Detectives are convinced the Sonnex family protected Dano - ordered to serve a minimum 40 years - by destroying evidence and threatening prosecution witnesses.

One senior officer said after Dano’s Old Bailey trial: "We could have had most of his relatives in the dock too but we didn't want to confuse the jury.

"They have a fearsome reputation and react to any problem, challenge or difficulty they perceive with violence.”

Rail Cop's S.W.A.T. Team Dream

A semi-deserted rail carriage echoed to the shouts of "Go,Go,Go!" as a pint-sized rail cop hunted down a fare dodger he feared would flee on his bike today.

Four revenue protection inspectors, backed up by three uniformed British Transport Police officers, swooped on the 14.33 London Bridge to Hayes service, finding a young black male ticketless.

Claiming to have travelled from Greenwich the passenger told police he was getting off at New Cross and triggered panic as he left the carriage with his bike.

Fearing a fast getaway, one eager cop, in the style of an Los Angeles S.W.A.T. team shouted:"Go, Go, Go!" at passengers and fellow officers as he intercepted the fare dodger.

One obvious question remains. Why not cycle from Greenwich to New Cross? 

Internet Man On Laundering Charges

A young Milton Keynes man - the poster-child of dodgy Ebay dealer's - accused of laundering £58,000 of criminal loot, was committed to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Amir Massoud Tofangsazan, 21, of 52 Staten House, Rillaton Walk is charged with concealing, disguising, converting, transferring or removing £26,587.56 by means of completing false expense claims between April 28 and June 3, last year, contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act.

He is similarly charged with laundering £9,057.81 between March 19 and June 17; £8,969.89 between May 1 and June 11 and £13,941.41 between April 28 and July 9.

Tofangsazan is also charged with possessing two electronic documents purporting to have originated from the Financial Times, stating he was authorized to receive those funds, on July 17, last year at 4 Hollow Lanes, Snodland, Kent, Contrary to the Fraud Act.

He rose to Internet infamy after a disgruntled customer posted personal details of Tofangsazan on the web after buying a broken laptop on Ebay.

City of London Magistrates’ Court bailed him unconditionally to appear on September 22.

Bloody Big Brother Hammer Attack

A debt-ridden company boss – who ran a family firm with his brother – launched a savage hammer attack on his sibling in a bloody bid to seize control of the business, a court heard.

Company Director Simon Rodliffe, 48, of Brown’s End Road, Broxted, Dunmow, Essex ran up debts while cheating on his wife with an Italian Internet lover and begged his father and brother for money to bale him out.

“If his brother was gravely injured in a random attack it would fall to Simon to take over the reigns of the company and sort out his personal finances from the company coffers,” prosecutor Mr. Richard Kelly told the Chelmsford Crown Court jury.

Simon Rodliffe pleads not guilty to wounding Guy Rodliffe, 44, with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm, on June 17 last year, at the offices of Home & Office Fire Extinguishers Ltd., Saffron Business Centre, Elizabeth Close, Saffron Walden.

Guy had criticized his brother – who had  £28,000 credit card debts – for living an “extravagant” lifestyle, involving multiple Italy trips, while the firm, founded by the brothers’ parents, struggled to pay it’s tax bill.

Their father, John, never received proof Simon’s request for £3,000 was for a legitimate legal bill and Guy snubbed his brother’s  £5,000 wages advance demand a few days before the alleged attack.

Simon appeared unexpectedly at the firm’s HQ, after ‘borrowing’ £100 petty cash, and followed his unsuspecting brother into an office with a hammer concealed in a plastic bag, explained Mr. Kelly.

“He felt an extremely heavy blow to the right side and back of his head and another blow to the top of his head,” said the lawyer, telling the jury the assault bore all the hallmarks of a pre-planned attack.

Simon screamed: “You bastard,” and a bloody Guy began wrestling with his brother. “Guy grabbed Simon telling him to stop or he was going to kill him. The blows caused his head to bleed profusely.”

Guy struggled clear and raised the alarm at a nearby Homebase, where his brother is said to have bought the hammer a couple of days earlier.

Simon dialed 999 and told police he was attacked by his brother with the hammer and struck two blows in self-defence after wrestling the weapon from him.

The court was told the brothers had enjoyed a good relationship in running the firm for seventeen years, but things turned sour when Simon began disappearing on mystery weekend trips.

“He was taking more of a back step in the business and did not want to be there or answer the phone,” Guy told the jury. “He was disappearing at the weekend and admitted he met a woman on the Internet who lived in Italy.”

Simon caused ill-feeling by continuing to draw his full salary – which he complained didn’t cover his mortgage – despite being absent for huge chunks of time, forcing the firm to pay a manager £36,000 to cover his work.

Guy refused his brother’s advance request, claiming the firm were “in the last chance saloon,” after extending their bank overdraft by £30,000 with Guy himself taking out a £25,000 personal loan to keep the business afloat.

By now Simon was in the middle of a bitter divorce and Guy feared he was suicidal after being refused more money.

After the attack police later found a spare pair of jeans and fresh T-shirt in Simon’s car and seized a bloodstained jumper and black coat.

Forensics prove Simon was the assailant, said Mr. Kelly. “This was a planned attack on his brother with a hammer wrapped in a plastic bag and wearing clothes designed not to link him to the crime.”

Cocaine Guitar Man Hits Bum Note

A cocaine smuggler who imported £250,000 worth of the party drug concealed inside a guitar struck the wrong chord with watching police who swooped on the unsuspecting dealer.

Andrew Sweeney, 30, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to conspiring to supply cocaine and was jailed for eight years.

Around one kilo of the Class A drug had been dissolved in a resin substance and hidden in the hollow body of the guitar, which Sweeney had arranged to be posted from Ecuador to his Shepherds Bush home.

City of London Police arrested Sweeney (pictured above with the guitar) as he signed for receipt of the parcel.

The drug was found to be of extremely high purity, and a search of Sweeney's home uncovered diluting equipment, giving the cocaine an estimated street value of £250,000.

DCI David Evans said "We are pleased with the outcome of this case, and the sentence Mr Sweeney now faces.

"His guilty plea reflected the sheer weight of evidence found against him, following a comprehensive investigation that brought together several areas of the City of London Police force."

Three Charged With £40m Graff Heist

Three men accused of the £40m armed raid on Mayfair’s Graff jewellers will appear at Kingston Crown Court on September 1.

They are: Craig Calderwood, 26, of no fixed address; Waiter Solomun Beyne, 24, of Lilestone Street, St. John’s Wood and Doorman Clinton Mogg, 42, of Flat 4, 35 Westby Road, Bournemouth.

All three are charged with conspiring to rob the prestigious New Bond Street store (pictured right) on August 6.

Calderwood and Beyne, also charged with possessing a hangun, were arrested and charged by Barnes Flying Squad detectives and appeared in custody at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court.

Former business and marketing student Beyne is employed at his Ethiopean parents’ Millennium coffee shop in West Hampstead

Mogg appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was also remanded in custody.

Forty-three pieces, including watches, necklaces and earrings, were snatched during the daring raid – Britain’s biggest ever jewellery robbery.

Oil Man Accused Of Flouting U.N. Saddam Embargo

An oil consultant, accused of flouting a U.N. Iraqi embargo, has appeared in court accused of transferring over $500,000 to Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2001.

Iraq-born Riad El-Taher, 70, of Hillcrest Gardens, Esher, Surrey was a consultant to controversial Bula Re-sources, an Irish-backed exploration company that racked up 45m Euro losses and was Chaired by former taoiseach Albert Reynolds.

El-Taher is charged with transferring $51,988 (U.S.) on or about July 16, 2001 to an account at Fransabank, Beirut, Lebanon, controlled by the Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organisation, contrary to the Iraq U.N. Sanctions Order, 2000.

He is similarly charged with transferring $99,985 (U.S.) on or about July 24, 2001 to an account at Jordan National Bank, Amman, Jordan and $99,988 (U.S.) on or about August 2, 2001 to Fransabank, Beirut.

He is also charged with transferring $249,973 (U.S.) on or about December 19, 2001 to the Jordan National Bank, Amman.

El-Taher was bailed to return to City of London Magistrates’ Court on September 16 on the condition he resides at his recorded address, surrenders his passports to police, does not apply for any international travel documents and gives 24 hours notice to stay at his daughter’s home at Marnon Road, Hove, East Sussex.

Drunken Mayhem At Irish Pub

A drunken customer who left a fellow-drinker covered in blood, after smashing a beer glass over his head during an orgy of violence, which claimed four victims in a landmark Irish pub, was jailed for three years.

Jobless James Sullivan, 30, of Wellesley Road, Kentish Town pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court to inflicting grievous bodily harm, with intent, on Sean Keenan at ‘Tommy Flynn’s’, Camden High Street on November 15, last year.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting Paul Harris, causing him actual bodily harm, after knocking the victim unconscious with a single blow.

“In the course of a drinking bout you became involved in a fracas and smashed a glass on top of the victim’s forehead and continued to punch him in the head and face,” Judge Deva Pillay told Sullivan.

“Outside you then punched Mr. Harris on the right side of his face. Your first victim needed stitches and the second was also taken to hospital,” added the Judge.

Drinking-partner Mark Cawley, 29, of Castle Place, Lewis Street, Camden pleaded guilty to assaulting Alana Ashby, causing her actual bodily harm, and assaulting James Atkins.

Prosecutor Mr. Jeff Israel told the court trouble flared when Cawley poked fun at Mr. Atkins’ moustache, which he was growing to raise money for a prostrate cancer charity.

He pulled the victim’s moustache then violently punched him in the stomach, triggering a brawl between Sullivan and Keenan, who was left with blood pouring from a head wound, after being glassed.

The drunken pair, who had been celebrating a friend’s birthday party, were bundled outside by security staff and Cawley confronted Miss Ashby, who was enjoying a cigarette.

“For no apparent reason he punched her in the side of the face,” explained Mr. Israel. “She fell to the floor, banging her head and her glasses were smashed.”

She was left with heavy bruising, a black eye and bloody nose.

Finally, Mr. Harris was decked. “Sullivan punched him to the right side of the face, causing him to fall to the ground,” said Mr. Israel. “He was knocked out for three minutes.”

Sullivan was jailed for three years for GBH with a twelve-month term for ABH to run concurrently.

Cawley was bailed until September 4 for sentencing and Judge Pillay told him: “The sentence in my mind is still one of custody. You knew what you were doing when you engaged in these attacks.”

Gonna Take You To A Gay Bar Gay Bar

A drunken pub customer, caught on CCTV launching a frenzied attack on an innocent bystander who was beaten to the ground, was spared jail despite a local crackdown on boozy thugs.

Beauty salon assistant Jonathon Brunsdon, 26, of 1a Ilchester Road, Bedminster Down, Bristol pleaded guilty at London’s Blackfriars Crown Court to assaulting Darren Sanderson by beating on March 14.

Brunsdon was drinking at the famous gay bar The Black Cap, Camden High Street, Camden, with a girl companion and his uncle when trouble flared.

Judge Deva Pillay told Brunsdon: “Violence of the kind I have just seen is endemic in Camden, endemic in public houses, where we see young men throwing their weight around.

“These courts see a lot of violence in Camden and the police and local authority have asked the courts to pass Draconian sentences to stamp it out,” added the Judge.

The court viewed CCTV footage of first-time offender Brunsdon acting aggressively outside the busy pub, where an unrelated fight had broken out, and then launching an unprovoked attack on another customer as he left.

Brunsdon, who had been living in London for a short time before returning to his native Bristol, was filmed throwing multiple punches and continuing the assault as Mr. Sanderson fell to the ground.

He claims he was trying to re-enter the pub, fearing his uncle got caught up in the other disturbance.

“These courts are determined to stamp out this kind of drunken violence on our streets. You behaved quite appalingly,” added Judge Pillay.

He sentenced Brunsdon to twelve months probation, plus 100 hours unpaid community service work and £250 costs.

City Analyst's Boozy KO Punch

A  £56,000 a year Canary Wharf financial analyst, who decked a man who annoyed him during a boozy night out in the City, leaving the victim lying in a pool of blood with a broken nose and a chipped tooth, was placed on probation for twelve months.

Stuart David Brown, 29, of 35 Abigail Crescent, Walderslade, Chatham, Kent downed five pints before felling the man with a single punch.

He pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates Court to assaulting Simon Murray, causing him actual bodily harm, in Ludgate Hill on April 9.

He was also ordered to perform 150 hours unpaid community service work, pay £1,000 compensation to the victim plus  £75 costs.

Prosecutor Miss Varinder Hayre told the court it was 11.30pm on a Thursday night when police saw Brown punch the victim to the pavement near St Paul’s Cathederal.

Mr Murray was rushed to hospital where he needed seven stitches plus repairs to his broken nose and chipped tooth. He also suffered lacerations, bruising to his eye and concussion.

Brown, who had been out drinking with his brother and a group of friends, fled, but was caught by police and told officers: “I did it. He was annoying me.”

The court was told father-of-two Brown was arguing loudly in the street with his brother, following an earlier incident in a pub, then got involved in a verbal confrontation with Mr Murray.

“For no good reason Mr Murray, who was with a group of other men, got involved with what they were arguing about,” explained Miss Sarah Kelly, defending. “My client told him ‘leave us alone it has nothing to do with you’.”

Brown, who sat teary-eyed in the dock, admits he was frustrated by the interference and punched the victim in the face. When caught by police told them: “I did it. I’m sorry.”

“To say the defendant is ashamed is an understatement,” added Miss Kelly.”This moment of madness could cost him and his family dearly indeed.”

Sole breadwinner Brown’s children are 4 years and 18 months and he pays the mortgage. “If sentenced to imprisonment the resulting loss of his job would cause the whole family unit to disintegrate,” said Miss Kelly.