'Menace Of Mayfair's' Jewellery Crime Spree

A modern-day ‘Raffles’ – dubbed the ‘Menace of Mayfair’ – cheated over fifty victims out of jewellery and valuables worth nearly £100,000 after meetings in posh locations such as The Dorchester and Claridges.

Smooth-talking Scottish conman Andrew Batchelor, 51, boss of the impressively titled ‘The Watch and Jewellery Exchange of Mayfair’ paid no income tax and had previously been jailed for similar crimes north of the border.

He will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on October 16 after pleading guilty to 22 counts of fraud by false representation, 6 counts of deception and one of fraudulent trading during the five-year swindle which funded his extravagant lifestyle.

Victims, wowed by his convincing website and expertise, handed him over valuables to sell, after meetings in Mayfair bars, restaurants and hotels, but in return received worthless cheques.

He was arrested on July 9, last year after one victim reported being swindled and following a probe by the London Regional Asset Recovery Team a total of 45 duped customers were identified.

Batchelor (pictured) is notorious in his native Scotland where he was sentenced to five-and-a-half years for similar crimes in 1999 at the High Court and is a bankrupt.

Dubbed the ‘Glasgow Goldfinger’ for a string of high profile crimes he swindled £400,000 out of unsuspecting victims at his shop in Royal Exchange.

Victims taken in by his easy charm, designer wardrobe and trappings of wealth include company directors, lawyers and hedge fund managers who lost valuables worth up to £30,000 each.

Described as “sophisticated, charming and very persuasive” Batchelor sold or pawned the items, splashing out on fancy hotels, five-star holidays, Vidal Sassoon haircuts, eyebrow shaping and eyelash tinting.

Superintendent Matt Parkes of the London Regional Asset Recovery Team said: "Over a period of five years, Andrew Batchelor has caused a great deal of anguish to his victims, depriving them of their valued possessions with no financial remuneration.

“This successful prosecution shows that London RART will pursue persons who cause such harm to the public, prosecute them and take back all the proceeds of their crime."

Robber Targets OAP's

A scumbag bully-boy mugger – who targeted little old ladies – even tying one up in her own bedroom and forcing the terrified victim to give her PIN number will hopefully be locked-up for a long time next week.

Cowardly Lloyd George Wright, 49, of Billington Road, New Cross, followed his victims home and robbed them of cash and bank cards.

He was convicted after a trial at Southwark Crown Court of three robberies, theft and false imprisonment and will be sentenced on October 13.

The first victim, a 69 year-old woman, was trailed home in Greenland Quay, Rotherhithe, on May 24, 2007 by Wright (pictured).

He knocked on her front door pretending he wanted to borrow a pen and when she turned inside to get one Wright attacked her, snatching cash, cards and her mobile phone.

The next victim, aged 84, was followed to her home in Hazel Way on November 7 after Wright spied her withdrawing cash from her bank in nearby Southwark Park Road.

As she neared her front door he grabbed her from behind and pushed her to the ground, taking the cash and a bank book from her coat pocket.

On June 30, 2008 a 76 year-old shopper, returning to her home in Windmill Close, Southwark, after a trip to the Elephant and Castle, was forced inside after Wright asked to borrow a pen.

She was bundled to the floor, but cowardly Wright was unhappy at grabbing a mere £40 and tied her up in her bedroom, grabbing bank cards andforcing her to write down her PIN numbers.

Wright was arrested on September 16, last year by officers from Southwark CID’s Robbery Squad.

Detective Constable Vicki Thomson of Southwark Robbery Squad said: "Wright targeted those he knew could not defend themselves and used threats and violence against them in their own homes.

"All three victims have shown great courage in giving evidence. By doing so, they have made sure he will be punished for these despicable crimes."

Barclays Bank Cashier Accused Of £21,000 Fraud

A young Barclays Bank cashier, accused of ripping-off his employers' to the tune of £21,000 in a seven-day campaign, was committed to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

Eklas Ali, 20, of Gosford House, Tredegar Road, Bow, appeared at City of London Magistrates' Court (pictured) facing four Fraud Act counts.

Ali is charged with dishonestly abusing his position of trust at Barclays Bank, Poplar, intending or exposing them lose £7,000 on September 24; £8,000 on September 25; £5,000 on September 30 and £1,000 on September 30, last year.

Strangler-Mugger Locked-Up

A brutal mugger who prowled the trendy late-night streets of Battersea with a teenage accomplice, strangling female victims into unconsciousness during a two-month reign of terror, was caged for nine years.

Jobless Temman Dias, 25, of Bowstead Court, Surrey Lane, Battersea was convicted at Kingston Crown Court of seven robberies committed between July 25 and October 3, last year.

A 17-year-old Mitcham, Surrey, youth was locked-up for five years on the same charges.

Wandsworth CID’s Robbery Squad arrested the pair after investigating a series of disturbing attacks on lone women approached from behind and strangled to the point of collapse and valuables snatched.

Police swooped on Dias’s (pictured) address after the final attack on a 30 year-old woman, arresting him, his accomplice and seizing the victim’s property, including a distinctive pair of pink gloves.

Detective Inspector Matt Phelps of Wandsworth CID said: "This has been a protracted, complex investigation and trial.

“I would like to praise the victims who not only had to endure the original offences but also the frustration of the two previous attempts at prosecution. It meant they had to give evidence three times.

"These two men used unnecessary violence against vulnerable victims and people in Wandsworth will be glad to see they have been captured and convicted."

Slick Pair Accused Of £250m 'Ponzi' Fraud

Two smooth-talking businessmen masterminded a £250 million-plus international ‘Ponzi’ fraud from a former RAF base, duping investors with outlandish promises of huge returns, a court heard.

Imperial Consolidated, based at Binbrook, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, and several overseas offices, collapsed in June 2002, owing £150m.

Lincoln Julian Fraser, (pic.l), 38,of Orford Hall, Brookenby, Binbrook, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire and Jared Bentley Brook, (pic.r) 39, of Sefton Drive, Worseley, Manchester, attracted 3,000 clients from all over the world.

“Instead of receiving their money back plus the generous rate of return which had been promised to them most investors lost everything,” prosecutor Tim Barnes QC told the Blackfriars Crown Court jury.

“This was an international fraud which cost investors hundreds of millions of dollars, they were promised high returns, they thought that their money was safe.

“These two defendants were masters of getting money from investors. They told a great story of capital protected investments, returns far above the normal rates of interest, investments in solid and successful trading businesses in the U.K.

“The published material on behalf of Imperial Consolidated was glossy and well put together,” explained the QC. “In layman’s terms they could certainly ‘talk the talk'.

"They projected themselves as dynamic entrepreneurs, proud of creating a great international business empire under the grandiose title ‘Imperial Consolidated’.”

Both men have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to defraud investors in investment schemes between January 1, 1998 and June 30, 2002 and fraudulent trading, knowing it was for a fraudulent purpose between May 1, 2000 and June 30, 2002.

The court was told £253.9 million was invested in Imperial Consolidated over four-and-a-half years and over £150 million has vanished, despite investors being convinced by the pair their savings were safe.

“It was illusion and not reality,” Mr. Barnes explained. “The investments were not protected, the UK businesses were not solid and successful.

“The rates of return for those who were fortunate enough to redeem their investments before the crash came from utilizing new investor funds for that purpose and not from the profits of established successful businesses as the investors believed.”

The jury was told neither Fraser nor Brook, who lived in Beacon Lodge, near Louth during the fraud, have any accountancy or formal financial qualifications.

They were banned from being company directors after a previous venture – Progressive Leisure – which ran the Midland Hotel, Morecambe, Lancashire, ceased trading, leaving a string of unhappy creditors.

“These two men in reality treated the investors with contempt,” added Mr. Barnes. “They speak of pandering to the greed of the investors in setting rates of interest that would bring the money in.

“They made promises which could not be kept and were not kept. They diverted investor funds for their own use to pay for their own lifestyle and to enable them to pursue a range of personal and uniformly unsuccessful business interests of their own.”

The duo blame Administrators – who tried to solve the mess left by Imperial Consolidated – plus a host of others, including the police, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Internet whistle-blower David Marchant for the massive losses, the jury were told.

“The truth is that these two men were simply fraudsters or conmen,” continued the QC. “They were slick and professional and extremely successful in getting money from investors worldwide.

“They were fundamentally a couple of selfish and dishonest individuals who for some years perpetrated a highly successful fraud.”

The jury was told the overall benefit to the defendants totaled £20 million and investors funds were secretly ploughed into a string of failed ventures including a hotel, bar, South American mine, Sierra Leone granite quarry and a mobile field hospital.

Fraser spent £111,000 on Orford Hall, turning his cellar into a Panic Room with bulletproof doors and hundreds of thousands of pounds was lavished on his pet project of buying and restoring old military vehicles.

From May 2001 Fraser drew £50,000 a month from the Fraser Brook Partnership – a firm funded by investors – and pocketed a £2 million salary from Imperial Consolidated, which even paid his £1 million tax bill.

The jury was also told the pair used investors money to buy a £1 million Kingair plane then trousered £550,000 when they sold it.

“The only way in which Imperial Consolidated kept going for so long was by paying old investors from new investors money,” explained Mr. Barnes.

“The defendants knew that as soon as the flow of new investment money dried up that their game would be up.

“That is why they tried so hard to keep the flow of incoming funds by promising higher rates of interest and seeking to persuade existing investors from redeeming.”

Offshore branches of the company were opened in the Bahamas, Grenada and the British Virgin Islands, plus an office in posh Mayfair.

“The scale of the deficiency was enormous. Over £150 million of investor funds had apparently disappeared. How had this come about?” asked the QC.

A string of associated companies were created, convincing investors these firms were the driving force behind overall profits.

“Those UK businesses were simply a fig-leaf to cover the increasing black hole at the heart of Imperial Consolidated,” said Mr. Barnes.

Huge yields of 15%-36% were promised and investors were wowed by impressive statistics the defendants paid to be published in the respected Financial Times.

“Imperial paid for supposed performance figures to be listed in the F.T. That newspaper did not authenticate the claims, they merely published the information provided to them by Imperial in return for a charge.

“It gave the investment some creditability and the investors some comfort,” added the QC, explaining the company used terms such as ‘Capital Protected’ and ‘Total Asset Protection’ to impress customers.

Investors received bogus statements boasting the company was profitable. “Documents showing the purported increase in the value of the clients’ investments were not worth the paper they were written on.

“There was no successful underlying business activity to generate the rates of return,” said Mr. Barnes.

“The only way in which the fraud operated as long as it did was through lying about the true trading performance of the companies and by manipulating the Imperial Consolidated financial statements to give a false picture of their profitability and solvency.”

Even though RAF Binbrook was rented on a five-year lease in 1997 it was listed as a £6.95m company asset on the books, following a dubious valuation including false information regarding planning permission, the jury was told.

Brook was described by the QC as an “effective and persuasive spokesman” skilled at selling the funds and without his talents the fraud would have failed.

The pair even tried to convince the Bahamas Securities Commission their company had a growing £120m a year turnover.

Eventually the Serious Fraud Office moved in and the pair were arrested in 2004.

Death-Threat Kidnap Gang Jailed

Three ruthless kidnappers – who threatened to kill their terrified victim with a samurai sword in a £250,000 international plot – have been locked-up for a total of twenty-one years.

The 24 year-old victim, who was meeting one of the gang for a meal, was beaten, bundled into a car boot, tied to a chair, had a sock stuffed in his mouth and his head wrapped in tape.

Dipeshkumar Chauhan, 28, (pic. centre) of Elmsleigh Avenue, Harrow, Middlesex, lured his pal to dinner and met the victim at Kingsbury Underground Station, driving him to Cool Oak Lane, Woodfield Park, Hendon.

After a violent struggle, during which the victim was punched and kicked in the head, he was forced into the BMW’s boot and driven to a house in Glenalmond Road, Harrow.

Chauhan was sentenced to nine years imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court after a jury convicted him of kidnap, false imprisonment and blackmail following a two week trial.

Accomplices Shujah Khaliq, 26, of The Mall, Harrow, (pictured l.) and Arif Aga, 26, of Glenalmond Road, (pictured r.) pleaded guilty to the same three charges and were jailed for six years.

The victim was forced to phone his father in Gujarat, India, on October 17, last year, telling him he would be killed by the gang if the ransom was not paid.

He was held for several more days as the gang phoned his family with more threats and demands, but the relatives – who did not have the money – tipped-off police in the U.K.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Kidnap Unit identified the house in Glenalmond Road and followed Chauhan and Khaliq when they left the residence on October 20.

Chauhan was arrested driving a Skoda in Shrewsbury Lane, Harrow, and Khaliq was captured driving a van in Honeypot Lane, Queensbury.

Moments later armed cops burst into the gang’s HQ and rescued the victim, catching Aga after he threw himself through a glass back door in a futile escape bid.

DC Greg Trinder of the Kidnap Unit said: "The victim does not come from a wealthy family.

“To receive a phone call to say your son has been kidnapped and that the kidnappers want money that you do not have must have been incredibly distressing.

“I am glad that they made the right decision and contacted police immediately so that we could locate the victim and ensure that he was returned to the family safely.

"The evidence against these three individuals was overwhelming. It showed the thought and planning that had gone into the crime and their motive of greed.

“Khaliq and Aga had the sense to plead guilty but Chauhan believed he could claim the defence of duress. I am grateful the jury saw through his lies and found him guilty alongside the other two defendants.

"Kidnaps are fortunately still comparatively rare in this country. We are grateful to all those who have assisted us in our investigation, ensuring the victim was returned to his family and the three defendants were put before the courts."

Man Denies Raid On Famous Fifteenth Century Church

A Southend man accused of a double raid on a famous fifteenth century church in the heart of the City of London pleaded not guilty when he appeared at Southwark Crown Court.

Andrew Alleyne, 35, of Chancellor Road, Southend-on-Sea spoke only to confirm his name during the five-minute hearing and was remanded in custody to stand trial on a day to be set the week beginning January 4, next year.

He is charged with burgling Saint Olave’s Church, Hart Street, - the burial place of Samuel Pepys - with intent to steal, on January 29 and March 31.

The famous diarist saved the church (pictured) from the great fire of London in 1666 and Mother Goose was buried there on September 14 1586.

Author Charles Dickens also had a fondness for St. Olave's and mentions the church in his writings.

Alleyne does not dispute he entered the church, and there is CCTV evidence, but denies entering a private area to steal.

The trial is expected to last two days.

Thug Squaddie's Brain Damage Attack

A thuggish soldier disgraced the name of our heroic armed forces after violently kicking and stamping another man’s head – leaving his victim with severe brain damage.

Wayne Bowe, 24, launched his frenzied attack on 25 year-old Michael Hewitt, who was walking to a nightbus stop after enjoying a night out in the West End with a pal.

Bowe, (pictured), pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Mr. Hewitt in Chandos Place, Covent Garden, in the early hours of February 28 and was jailed for five years and four months at the Old Bailey.

The court heard it was 3.30am when Bowe attacked the victim, kicking and stamping on his head up to twenty times as he lay helpless and unconscious.

The soldier fled the scene, but left behind telltale DNA which police matched to a sample he gave nine months earlier for an unrelated matter.

Detective Sergeant Louise Cornwell, of Westminster's Serious Violence Team, said: "This was an unprovoked and random attack, which has left the victim with serious injuries.

"We are lucky that we held Bowe's DNA evidence on file, as it enabled us to trace Bowe quickly and bring him to justice."

Bandit Brothers' Bookies Blag Blitz

Two old-school blaggers, who donned masks and threatened staff with shooters during a string of armed stick-ups, were caged for six years today (Friday) after being captured by The Sweeney.

The 70’s throwback brothers – who targeted bookies in North London and Hertfordshire - were collared following a Flying Squad surveillance operation codenamed Catchwater.

Nelson Muzinga, (pictured), 23, and Ivo Muzinga, 18, both of Moree Way, Edmonton, were sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court after admitting the crime spree.

They burst into betting shops wielding guns, threatening staff and customers and made off with large amounts of cash.

Their reign of terror was ended by Finchley’s Flying Squad team who swooped on the pair on June 18.

Both pleaded guilty to four robberies, two attempted robberies, plus five counts of possessing a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to rob.

Nelson asked for three further robberies to be taken into consideration, plus three counts of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to rob.

Ivo asked for five further robberies to be taken into consideration, plus five counts of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to rob.

Detective Inspector David Malcolm, whose investigation nailed the pair said: "The Muzinga brothers terrified the staff and customers they encountered as they raided bookmakers with handguns.

“The weapons were often pointed straight at the victims to ensure the maximum amount of money was handed over.

“Robberies of this nature are a priority for the Flying Squad and the conviction of these men demonstrates the Met's continued commitment to bringing such dangerous criminals to justice."

Armed Robbery Spree: Photo Update

This is Ivo Muzinga, 18, caged for six years along with his partner-in-crime older brother Nelson for a string of armed raids on bookies.

Police Use C.S. Gas To Break-Up Boozy Stag Party

A drunken stag party reveler, whose rowdy group was sprayed with C.S. gas by police during an angry confrontation outside a City pub, was fined for violently striking an Inspector.

Jobless Reagan Rajkumal, 28, of Larkspur Close, Kingsbury, was arrested in the shadow of Tower 42 after officers were called to the Corney and Barrow pub.

He pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court (pictured) to assaulting Police Inspector Simon Douglas in Old Broad Street on July 26.

Prosecutor Miss Ravindra Hayre said: “When police arrived they saw a large number of aggressive people. Most of them were drunk and they were starting to fight with each other.

“Police tried to split up the parties and they became surrounded by a group of males. One of them was the defendant.

“They were shouting at the officers and were very aggressive towards the police,” added Miss Hayre.

“They tried to push the officers and one of them tried to punch an officer and C.S. gas was used against the group.

“The defendant then struck the Inspector in the chest area forcing him backwards and was told C.S. gas would be used,” explained the prosecutor.

“The defendant ignored the warning and continued to be aggressive and struck the Inspector again in the chest, forcing him backwards.”

First-time offender Rajkumal, who admitted drink played a part, was fined £200, plus £90 costs and ordered to pay Inspector Douglas £100 compensation.

'Ladygarden' Grope Spells End For Floral Team

An award-winning floral duo split after one half of the platonic partnership allowed his green fingers to wander in his teammate’s ladygarden as she dozed on the sofa.

A twenty-one year friendship and mutual love of gardening was shattered in seconds when 73 year-old Peter Power patted his knickerless companion twice between the legs.

The recently widowed Irishman, of Litchfield Gardens, Willesden, was sentenced to three months imprisonment, suspended for twelve months, after pleading guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court to sexually assaulting the 56 year-old in the early hours of August 2, last year at her Camden home.

“They won the Camden Garden of the Year two years running,” Power’s lawyer Dianne Chan told the court. “That is now at an end. He has lost a friend and she has lost a friend.”

The victim was in tears the next day when chatting to her sister on the phone, recalling how she woke up to discover her trusted pal with his hand between her legs.

“There is some ancient romantic history between the two of them and they have been very close over the years,” explained Miss Chan. “He would help put her to bed, help with chores, walk the dog and they watched television together.

“He was trying to wake her up. He knows it is inappropriate to wake someone up by touching them in a private area, but it did the trick.

“Those two pats brought twenty-one years of friendship, a very close friendship to an end,” added Miss Chan. “The saddest thing is it is such a loss for the both of them.”

The court was told Power took care of the heavy lifting and manual labour in the victim’s garden and she concentrated on design and presentation.

“To lose a companion of many years after the loss of his wife was a double blow,” said Miss Chan. “They have not seen or contacted each other since.”

Judge Deva Pillay also ordered Power to sign on the sex offender’s register for the next five years and placed him under probation supervision for twelve months.

“I am sure you utterly regret what you did that night,” the Judge told Power. “There were many other ways you could have woken her.

“Your behaviour was utterly unacceptable, but you lost your good name and a long friendship.”

Arrest In 'Body In Suitcase' Death

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering 37 year-old care worker Leah Questin, whose decomposed body was found stuffed inside a suitcase in a dried-up pond.

Police believe she had arranged to meet an internet blind-date after responding to a personal ad on website Gumtree.

Philippines-born Questin, (pictured) of Sneyd Road, Cricklewood, disappeared near the Elephant and Castle on September 12 and was discovered off Buckland Road, Cliffe, Rochester, Kent, on September 24.

A 35 year-old man, an IT professional, was arrested today (September 29) in Malpas Road, Lewisham, and is being questioned by officers from Hendon’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command at a North London police station.

Forensic tests on Questin’s body are continuing after an initial post mortem proved inconclusive as to the cause of death.

She was reported missing to Brent’s Missing Persons Unit by a friend on the evening of September 16/17 after last being seen at home.

Detective Chief Inspector, Peter Lansdown, said: "As a result of enquiries into Leah's disappearance, we have established through CCTV footage, that she travelled alone on the 172 bus in the area of Elephant and Castle and was heading south on 12 September.

"She boarded this bus on the New Kent Road shortly after exiting Elephant and Castle underground station. It is still not clear where she was heading to.

"Leah is described as 4ft 11 inches tall with a petite build. She has a light complexion and long black hair. Leah was wearing a red top and blue jeans.

"I appeal to anyone who saw Leah in south east London or on the 172 bus or its route on Saturday 12 September to contact us.

"We also need to hear from anyone who may have seen her after 12 September and up until her body was found as we need to understand where she was going, who she was meeting and how she came to be murdered.

"We continue to liaise with our colleagues at Kent Constabulary and I would like to thank them for their work during the early stages of this enquiry."

G20 Riot Cop Facing Court For Assault

A riot cop, caught on camera slapping a female protester then striking her leg with a police baton during the City of London G20 disturbances earlier this year, will face court in seven weeks time accused of assault.

Police Sergeant Delroy (Tony) Smellie, (pictured),a member of the Metropolitan Police’s elite Territorial Support Group has been suspended pending an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

He has been summonsed to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 16 accused of assaulting Brighton protestor Nicola Fisher, 35, on April 2.

Contoversial footage of the officer’s confrontation with Ms. Fisher has been broadcast on television and the internet after demonstrators captured the incident on mobile phones.

A second woman also lodged a formal complaint against PS Smellie, but the Crown Prosecution Service announced there was insufficient evidence to proceed on those allegations.

In a statement, a CPS spokesman said: "The Crown Prosecution Service has decided that there is sufficient evidence to charge Police Sergeant Delroy (Tony) Smellie with the offence of assault by beating of Nicola Fisher on 2 April 2009 at a demonstration in the City of London."

The incident happened on the second day of the G20 protests as Ms. Fisher joined a large crowd attending a vigil for newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson who died the previous evening after being struck by a T.S.G officer.

Jail For Chemical Bomb Hoaxer

A hoaxer who triggered an evacuation after warning U.S. officials a chemical bomb was about to explode in busy Times Square, New York, was locked up for four years following copycat claims in London.

Jobless Jamal Ahmed, 20, of Miersfield, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, made a string of bogus calls to Scotland Yard, the NYPD, the CIA and other security agencies.

New York cops evacuated several addresses on West 45^th Street, including Frankie and Johnnies’s Steakhouse – where the bomb was supposedly planted – closed the street and ushered in bomb experts.

Ahmed, who claimed he was bored and high on cannabis when making the terror calls, pleaded guilty at Aylesbury Crown Court to two counts of communicating information which he knew or believed to be false with the intent of inducing false belief that a chemical bomb was to detonate.

The day after the New York scare Ahmed made a similar chemical bomb hoax call to the Home Office, claiming he was a foreign spy with knowledge of an Al Qaeda London plot.

Ahmed, fortunate not to be rotting in an American Supermax Prison in the middle of the Nevada desert for terror offences, was sentenced to thirty-two months imprisonment for the New York call, plus sixteen months for the London hoax.

Detectives from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command traced the calls – made on a pal’s SIM card - to Ahmed’s home address where they arrested him.

G20 Trio Appear

Three G20 protesters, arrested following violent clashes between demonstrators and police in the City of London during the meeting of world leaders earlier this year, have appeared in the dock for second time.

Pascal Bouzenard, 39, of Alvington Crescent, Hackney is charged with violent disorder and was bailed unconditionally until October 15 to apply for legal aid.

Michael Wells, 50, of Rutland Gardens, Finsbury Park, pleaded not guilty to causing £1,200 worth of criminal damage to an ITN camera during a live news broadcast and was bailed until his trial on January 15, next year.

Phillip Georgopoulos, 26, of Prestonville road, Brighton is charged with violent disorder and was bailed until November 6 for Crown Court committal.

It is alleged he threw two scaffold brackets at police lines during the height of the disturbances and threw a flat-screen monitor through a window at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

All three appeared before JP’s at City of London Magistrates’ Court.

Kiwi's St. James' Park Rape Ordeal

A young Kiwi who made the mistake of choosing lawless London for a working holiday was raped and robbed in the shadow of Buckingham Palace after meeting three strangers on a nightbus home.

The 21 year-old New Zealander had missed the last tube train after enjoying an evening drinking with pals and in the early hours was taken to historic St. James’ Park by the three men.

She was subjected to a two-and-a-half hour rape ordeal by two of them who face lengthy prison sentences when they return to Southwark Crown Court on October 23.

Ismail Acar,(pictured), 21, of Millfield, Six Acres Estate, Finsbury Park, pleaded guilty to raping the victim three times, assault by penetration and robbing her of jewellery and a handbag containing cash, bank cards and an ipod on August 25, last year.

Jobless Callem Fearnehough, 21, also of Millfield, Six Acres Estate, denied, but was convicted by the jury of raping her twice and robbing her of the same items.

The third man, jobless Dimitri McKenzie-Saunders, 21, of Holloway Road, Upper Holloway was acquitted of three rape counts and robbery.

She attempted to escape her assailants, but was recaptured and the ordeal continued.

The attackers demanded her PIN number so they could empty her bank accounts, but Acar was foiled at a Charing Cross cashpoint, after the victim gave a bogus number.

A park security guard detained McKenzie-Saunders just before 5am and Acar and Fearnehough were arrested two hours later on Horse Guards Road after two PCSO’s identified them from a circulated description.

The victim was taken to a Haven centre where she received medical care and counselling from specially trained staff who guide victims of sexual assaults through the immediate aftermath of the trauma.

DS Ivon Beer, of Westminster’s Sapphire Unit – which was commended by the trial Judge - said: "This was a horrific attack on a woman who has shown great courage throughout this investigation and who was brave enough to come into court and give evidence against her attackers.

"We hope this conviction will reassure the victim in this case and the public that all allegations of rape are fully and comprehensively investigated, no matter what the background or circumstances of the incident."

Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Lesley Jones said: "I would like to pay tribute to the victim in this case who, despite the horrific ordeal she endured, felt brave enough to stand up in court and give evidence.”

St. James's Park Rape: Photo Update

Pictured (right) is rapist Jobless Callem Fearnehough, 21, of Millfield, Six Acres Estate, who will return to Southwark Crown Court on October 23 for sentencing.

Barclays Bank Man Charged

A Barclays Bank customer account advisor, accused of stealing £34,350 from his employers, was committed to Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday.

Jason Philip Hopgood, 24, of Hollingworth Close, West Molesey, Surrey, was bailed by City of London Magistrates’ Court to appear for a plea and case management hearing on October 27.

He is charged that between March 1, 2008 and January 24, this year, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, he dishonestly abused his position with intent to gain, by manipulating various personal accounts of customers, falsified messages and carried out other improper acts, contrary to the Fraud Act.

He is also charged with stealing £34,350 from Barclays Bank between January 1 and 24, this year.