Cowardly Mugger Who Violently Robbed 82 Year-Old Caged

A violent mugger, who dragged his octogenarian victim off a bus and to the ground as he snatched £1,500 cash, was jailed for seven years yesterday.

John O'Rourke, 41, (pictured) of Lytham Close, Thamesmead pounced on the 82 year-old victim – who died two months later – as they travelled on a number 53 bus towards Plumstead on September 9, last year.

He pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court, which also ruled he should spend an additional five years on licence when he is released.

They both boarded the bus in Woolwich New Road and sat on the lower deck, where O'Rourke sneaked up on the victim from behind and tried to put his hand inside the pensioner's shirt pocket.

The victim reacted and tried to prevent O'Rourke from stealing his money, resulting in a struggle and the defendant dragging the man off the bus and onto the ground.

Members of the public, who came to his aid, were told by O'Rourke that he was just "helping the victim".



The pensioner was dragged to Waverley Crescent, Plumstead where O'Rourke stole his wallet and left him on the ground.



Following the robbery officers conducted a number of CCTV enquiries and identified footage of the incident.

Greenwich Borough PCSO Pan Psarias - a super-recogniser, who is highly skilled in recalling faces and details - viewed the footage and immediately recognised O'Rourke.



A warrant was executed at his home address and a pair of shoes identical to those O'Rourke can be seen wearing in the CCTV footage was found.

Detective Constable Stephanie Walker, of Greenwich Borough police, said: "O'Rourke targeted a vulnerable, frail man and did not care about the hurt or fright he caused him.

“He subjected the victim to a prolonged attack and did not stop until he finally stole his cash.

“Sadly the victim died just two months later and whilst there are no links between his death and the robbery, I have witnessed first hand the damage caused by this crime and how it affected the victim's confidence."

Fraudster Pocketed Late Mother's Pension

A fraudster said nothing when his deceased mother's £630 a month pension continued to be paid into his bank account because he wanted to make improvements to his home.

Carpenter Graham Tomlinson, 65, of Fairby Grange Cottages, Ash Road, Hartley, Longfield, Kent pocketed nearly £8,300 until Logica, who managed the Metropolitan Police Pension, realised what was going on and demanded the money back.

The first-time offender pleaded guilty fraud by failing to disclose information between March 1, 2012 and March 12, last year and was conditionally discharged for two years and ordered to pay £340 costs.

Prosecutor Miss Shazia Ahmed told Croydon Crown Court the pension was paid into a joint account Tomlinson held with his mother and continued after she passed away.

Her death was not reported, which would have ended the pension payments, and the company did not discover the true position for a year.

Logica's first three letters on the subject were ignored and after they received no reply to a fourth recorded delivery letter they call in the police.

When Tomlinson was arrested he confessed everything to the officers.

“He told them he had a breakdown after his mother died and was in financial difficulties,” explained Miss Ahmed.

“He said it took six months for him to realise the money was being paid into the account and he needed it for work done on the house.”

At that stage Tomlinson was given a chance to repay the money, but failed to do so.

It has now been repaid in full.

His lawyer Mr. David Claxton told the court: “He nursed his mother through her illness up until her death. Mr. Tomlinson has angina and high blood pressure.”

Judge John Tanzer told Tomlinson: “Basically you let matters run and you shouldn't have.

“People turn a blind eye. Things were left to carry on running and he buried his head in the sand.”

Burglar Locked-Up For Stabbing Homeowner To Death

A vicious knife-wielding burglar, who stabbed to death the fifty-year resident of a smart home he raided, has been caged for life.

Joseph Griffiths, 72, (pic.top) was stabbed twenty-two times in his Hazlebury Road house in fashionable Fulham.

Aaron De Silva, 22, (pic.bottom) of Warwick Road, Earl's Court was convicted of murdering Mr. Griffiths during the early-morning break-in on November 9, 2012.

Detective Inspector Simon Pickford of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "De Silva is an extremely violent individual who had no hesitation in stabbing the victim repeatedly in a frenzied and brutal attack after he was disturbed having broken into Mr Griffiths' home.

"I must pay tribute to Mr Griffiths' family who have been left utterly devastated by what happened.

“They have conducted themselves with the utmost restraint and dignity throughout this tragic incident and my and my team's thoughts are with them."

The victim had enjoyed an evening out with his wife and visiting friends the night before and at around 6:20am one of the guests was awoken by a commotion and shouting that sounded like "get out" and "who are you?"

Downstairs they discovered the victim's wife sobbing and screaming and Mr Griffiths lying in the hallway on his back with his dressing gown covered in blood.

Police and the ambulance service were called, but Mr Griffiths was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination later revealed the businessman, who had two grown-up sons and seven grandchildren, died of multiple stab wounds.

Enquiries revealed a pair of bolt croppers had been stolen from a neighbouring garden shed overnight and the basement-level rear kitchen window of the Griffiths' home had been forced with the handle of the bolt croppers.

Deadly: Murder Weapon

De Silva had climbed over four garden walls and negotiated trellises and hedges to get to the back of the Griffiths' house.

He had then opened the back door ready for his escape.

The murder weapon (pictured) – a lock knife was found near the murder scene in Snowbury Road had a bloody handle that matched that of the victim.

A partial DNA profile matching De Silva was found on the handle.

CCTV showed De Silva back at his hostel around an hour after the murder listening to music, seemingly entirely unaffected by what he had just done.


He was arrested on November 13 and charged two days later.

In an impact statement the victim's son Mark said: "The murder of Joe in such a brutal and senseless manner has left a gaping hole not only in our immediate family but also the families of all who knew him.

"What should have been a happy Saturday get-together for the whole family was shattered by the numbing news of Joe's murder.

“Instead of coming together as a family to share a meal we were gathered together in very different circumstances that, even today over a year hence, does not seem real.

"Writing this some fifteen months after that dreadful day, those events were real and we as a family are living with the devastating consequences of that terrible act of violence.

“The sudden loss of Joe has caused severe stress among all family members and has especially hit his seven grandchildren.

"The whole family, and our circle of friends, still feel a deep sorrow and sense of loss since Joe's murder.

“Members of our family have had to deal with recurring nightmares, triggered by that fateful day.

“We can only hope that with the passage of time these nightmares and feelings will lessen.

"Judy (mum) took the brave decision to return to the house where her husband was murdered, trying to live her life as normally as possible.

“This is the house where she and Joe had lived for fifty years, where one of her children was born and where both sons were raised.

"An irreplaceable member of our thriving family business was lost.

Fifty years of business experience and acumen gone in a wanton act of mindless violence.



"He is, and will always be, sorely missed by everyone."

Life On The Edge: Homeless Man Murdered By Polish Drifter

A Polish rough sleeper, who beat a fellow homeless man to death – inflicting fatal chest injuries with repeated punches – has been convicted of murder.

The body of Alfred Stemporowski, 55, (pic.top) was found on May 30, last year in the brick refuse building he called home in Keats Close, Enfield.

An Old Bailey jury convicted 30 year-old Damin Walczyk, (pic.bottom) who also slept there, of murdering the victim during an unprovoked drunken attack.

A post mortem examination revealed he died after suffering major chest injuries and fractures to his rib cage.



A married couple, who also sheltered in the building, witnessed the violent assault during the early evening of May 29.

Alfred was asleep on a mattress when, without warning, Walczyk - who had been drinking - grabbed him, pulled him up and began punching him repeatedly in the face and upper body.



When the couple began shouting at him to stop Walczyk, who is younger and larger in stature, threatened them with the same and blocked the exit to stop them leaving.

They asked why he was attacking Mr. Stemporowski and Walczyk replied: “For the love of my country,” - a Polish phrase that means doing something for no reason at all.



A short time later the witnesses managed to escape and tried to get help from various members of the public, however due to the language barrier they could not be understood and neither police or the London Ambulance Service were called.



Later that day they returned to the refuse building to find Walczyk asleep and Alfred on his mattress.

Assuming he was asleep they left him alone.

At about 6:00am the following morning they were unable to rouse Alfred and realised he had died.



Detective Chief Inspector Sheila Stewart of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “Damin Walczyk launched a totally unprovoked attack on Alfred Stemporowski.

“The level of violence he used was terrifying and he used this to intimidate the witnesses present.

“He used his muscular build and propensity for violence to assault and intimidate the persons he lived with and ultimately murder an innocent man.”

Voyeur Secretly Filmed 15 Year-Old Girl In Shower

Hammersmith Magistrates' Court

A child porn voyeur, who secretly filmed a fifteen year-old girl showering at his home, where she and her mother were regular guests, was exposed after a sudden raid by Scotland Yard's Paedophile Unit.

John Cleur, 41, of Capel Road, Forest Gate also kept recordings of the girl's mother, which he made using a camera hidden inside a spectacles case placed on the edge of the bathroom sink.

Officers made off with incriminating computer files and seized more material when they searched his mother's home in Mortlake Road, Ilford.

Cleur pleaded guilty at Hammersmith Magistrates' Court to three counts of voyeurism in that he took sexual gratification from recording a person doing a private act on dates between July 21, 2011 and March 22, 2012.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of making an indecent image of a child and one count of posseesing 49 indecent images of a child.

Cleur was placed on probation for two years and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

He must also sign the sex offenders register for five years and an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order was made, which controls his internet use.

The court heard computer equipment, including a tower and USB sticks were seized by police and Cleur confessed to visiting porn sites such as 'Jailbait' which featured girls aged between 11 and 15.

His favourite scenes were voyeuristic in nature and the defendant admitted to officers this inspired him to film his own.

He agreed he received sexual gratification from watching the teenage guest showering at his home and also kept footage of her mother.

The court heard the domestic “fall-out must have been enormous”, particularly as Cleur's wife was at home during the first police raid.

The first-time offender was told it was “tragic” he should find himself in court for such offences.

Notorious Benefit Fraudster Back In The Dock For £194K Scam

Now You See Me

A notorious housing benefit cheat featured on BBC's 'Saints & Scroungers' after a £90,000 scam was sentenced today for his role in a £194,000 crisis loan swindle.

Jobless Emmanuel Ikem, 29, (pictured) of South Norwood Hill, Upper Norwood was involved with his brother Peter Ikem,31, in a fraud, which saw a total of 228 bogus applications made for taxpayers money to cover deposits and the first month's rent for multiple prospective tenants.

However, Emmanuel was not sent back to prison after the Recorder of Croydon Warwick McKinnon ruled that it would be "quite unjust", and Peter, who had a larger role in the scam, received a two year sentence. 

Both pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to conspiring to defraud the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions between March 1, 2011 and November 12, 2012.

A third defendant, Steven Coote ,38, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud in relation to a crisis loan application on November 30, 2011 and was fined £750, with a £75 victim surcharge.

Emmanuel Ikem received two years imprisonment at the same court in October, 2012 for a five-year fraud, during which he created thirteen fictitious identities, forged birth certificates, tenancy agreements, utility bills and other documents.

He also had a sideline in insurance fraud, pocketing another £8,000 in payouts for non-existent injuries, but was exposed when his unsuspecting parents reported all the suspicious correspondence arriving at the family home.

Ikem made claims on properties he controlled, were derelict or occupied by an unsuspecting resident.

"You have served a sentence of two years and today's offences go back to before you were sentenced and it would be quite unjust to send you to prison," the judge told him, passing sentence of six months imprisonment, suspended for one year.

Now You Don't

The court heard the multiple bogus applications were linked to a series of telephone numbers used by the brothers and fictitious landlords they created.

Interest-free crisis loans are available to legitimate claimants to cover housing costs and are repaid from deductions to future benefits.

Prosecutor Mr. Stephen Hopper told the court: "They provided telephone numbers and fake landlord identities to others and took a cut of the loan.

"They would also make the phone calls on behalf of the applicants who were not as confident. Coote was one of the applicants."

Typically  a successful crisis loan application netted between £750 and £1,000 and Coote received £900 for his bogus claim, with the brothers claiming they took a one-third cut from all successful applications.

The court heard Peter Ikem, of Hawthorne Avenue, Thornton Heath was the more active of the brothers in the plot, which funded his "long-standing" cocaine use, and claims totalling £164,000 are attributed to him and £43,000 to Emmanuel.

Department of work and Pensions (DWP) investigators carried out a surveillance operation and watched as the brothers drove the applicants to their Jobcentre interviews and waited outside, sometimes posing as the new landlord during telephone checks.

However the DWP became suspicious when multiple applications were linked to the same phone numbers and a fictitious story of becoming homeless after a fall-out with a non-existent aunt was used by applicants again and again.

"This was a deliberate, targeted fraud on the social security system, which is vulnerable to deliberate fraud of the character here," Judge McKinnon told the brothers.

"This was a carefully planned, sophisticated fraud. This was deliberate and over a significant period of time and we are dealing with substantial sums of money."

He told sobbing Emmanuel, who broke down in tears after seeing his brother jailed: "I was impressed by your letter. Just make sure you keep on the right road."

There will be no Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings because the loans are repaid from deductions to future benefits received by the applicants.

The brothers were ordered to each pay a victim surcharge of £100.

Junkie Ex-Wife Of 'Mr Arsenal' Tony Adams Jailed

Junkie: Jane Shea

The junkie ex-wife of former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams was jailed for twelve months today for stealing handbags from guests at private parties she infiltrated.

Jane Shea, 47, has now clocked-up twenty-eight offences, mostly committed to fund her drug habit, which one ex-boyfriend claimed cost her £250,000 a year when they were together.

She was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court with accomplice Vannessa Joseph, 33, a fellow resident at an Upper Holloway house in St. John's Grove that has been divided into rooms - a far cry from her former Footballer's Wives lifestyle.

Shea pleaded guilty to stealing a £200 handbag, containing a £300 iPod, on November 17, last year from the nearby Archway Leisure Centre, which had been reserved for a young boy's birthday party.

Both pleaded guilty to theft from the Carpenter's Arms pub, Fitzrovia on January 25, when a guest at a private function had her handbag stolen by Shea and an iPhone was pinched by Joseph.

Accomplice: Vannessa Joseph

The Eastender married Adams, 45, in July 1992 at a grand country house and the couple have a son, Oliver, 22, and daughter Amber, 18, and Shea has another daughter from an earlier relationship, Clare, 28.

The couple's marriage collapsed in 1997 as Shea struggled to cope with her drug addiction and Adams wrestled with his own drinking demons.

Repeated admissions to drug rehabilitation clinics to beat her addictions failed and Shea's nadir was ten years ago when she was arrested after junkie Teresa Tuppen, 44, was found by police dead in the back of her BMW.

"Both of you have had a long history of suffering drug and alcohol addiction and many of the offences you have committed were from those habits," Judge Peter Murphy told the pair, who have been locked-up since their joint arrest.

"You both have appalling records for dishonesty and this is not the first time community orders were tried and did not succeed.

Digs: St.John's Grove

"There was a depth of planning. These were not spontaneous, and you must have known these were private parties and infiltrated them, posing as guests, and stole when their backs were turned.

"These were sophisticated offences and the public must be protected against offences of this kind."

Prosecutor Mr. Alistair Walker told the court a couple had hired the leisure centre's pool area and set up tables and chairs for guests of their son's birthday and it was closed to the public.

"The husband saw Shea standing near a vending machine and was suspicious of her, because he did not recognise her.

"She had a dark jacket hanging over her arm and he observed his wife's handbag in her possession."

Shea was challenged about having the bag, but replied: "No I don't," and claimed she was waiting for her child in the changing room. "It was all a bluff," added Mr. Walker.

"She left, bashing past the husband and another parent and into the street and made off."

Shea was later identified as the thief on a video identity parade.

While on bail she and Joseph targeted the West End pub, which had taken bookings from several private groups that evening.

Target: Carpenters Arms

"They were mingling with the guests and trying to blend in, but a member of one of the group's found a handbag was missing and attention turned to these two defendants.

"Shea was carrying her bag, but inside was the one she had stolen and both defendants were pursued by a number of people."

She was stopped by police in Charlotte Street and Joseph was caught on a bus, where she had tried to hide the iPhone underneath a seat.

Shea's convictions include numerous thefts, plus burglary, having counterfeit currency, driving while unfit and she has breached non-custodial sentences such as drug rehabilitation requirements and community orders.

Joseph has thirty-one previous convictions including robbery, burglary, theft, going equipped, possession of 'crack' cocaine and handling stolen goods. 

Shea's lawyer Miss Margaret Anucha told the court: "She has tried to make use of her time in custody, attending counselling for drug abuse and methadone and alcohol detox programme.

"She has abstained from using drugs while in prison."

The offences breached a court imposed community order Shea was on and Miss Anucha added: "She has had a long-standing problem with drugs, has a family, children and a grandchild."

Shea received six months for the leisure centre theft, plus four months for stealing at the pub, with two months added for breaching her community order.

Joseph received six months, plus two months consecutive for also breaching a community order.

Jealous Ex Jailed For Stabbing Love Rival To Death

A jealous knifeman, who stabbed a younger love-rival to death in a “fit of rage” - plunging the blade into the defenceless victim six times – has been jailed.

Andrew Nichols, 45, (pic.bottom) of Excelsior Close, Kingston-upon-Thames knifed 28 year-old Colin Bolton (pic.top) through the heart.

He was cleared of murder, but convicted at the Old Bailey of manslaughter and received seven-and-a-half years.

Nichols had been dating the woman for eighteen months, but discovered she had started a relationship with Mr. Bolton.

The trio gathered at a flat in Kingsnympton Park, Kingston-upon-Thames, where the woman heard Mr. Bolton screaming as she entered the kitchen.

Nichols had punched and then repeatedly stabbed Mr. Bolton with a knife before fleeing from the property. 



Paramedics were called and tried to resuscitate Mr. Bolton, but he had suffered a stab wound to the heart and lung and was pronounced dead at the scene.



Nichols, who has an IQ under 60, was eventually apprehended over 70-miles away at his brother's home in Portsmouth. 



Detective Sergeant Rory Wilkinson, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "Colin Bolton had everything to live for.

“He had a loving family and friends, was a successful electrical engineer and had just started a new relationship. 



"Unfortunately Colin Bolton's partner had previously been in a relationship with Andrew Nichols.

“Nichols was unwilling to accept the new situation and he killed Mr. Bolton in a fit of rage and jealousy.

“He stabbed the twenty-eight year-old six times before escaping to Portsmouth.”

Anglican Priest Accused Of Molesting Brothers Three Decades Ago

An anglican priest at a landmark South Kensington church sexually abused two young alter boy brothers in the vicarage during weekend sleepovers - plying one of them with sherry and port - a court heard today.

Father Kenneth Hewitt, 84, bathed the boys - who visited separately - and got into bed with them and molested them at St. Augustine's Church, Queen's Gate, the jury at Isleworth Crown Court was told.

The brothers attended St. James Independent Boys School across the road from the church and the elder says he was abused between the ages of nine and ten years-old and his younger sibling says he was aged seven to fourteen years-old.

They are now aged 42 and 38 respectively and the youngest claims he was molested thirty to forty times by Father Hewitt, who took him to museums, restaurants and shops and treated him to alcohol and ice cream at the vicarage, where he also showed him Victorian books featuring naked children.

Prosecutor Mr. Subhankar Banerjee told the court pupils were encouraged to become alter boys at the church -  a favourite of late Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman - and the defendant himself was particularly popular.

"He was someone people could trust and respect and was considered nicer than a lot of the teachers."

Father Hewitt was friendly with the boys' mother, who allowed her sons to sleepover at the vicarage, believing the defendant to be a good "mentor" for her sons.

The older boy only stayed twice, once after a church service and once after school.

"He says he had to have a bath and Father Hewitt walked in and then placed the boy's pyjamas on his bed and said that's where he would be sleeping"

Father Hewitt allegedly described the youngster as his "special boy" and made "grunting noises" as he molested him.

Three weeks later the scenario was repeated with the defendant washing the boy between his legs and inserting his finger into the complainant's bottom, the jury were told.

The defendant "lingered" around the boys's bottom when towelling him off, explained Mr. Banerjee, and again molested him in the bed.

On another occasion the boy was changing into alter clothing for a church service when Father Hewitt approached, said the prosecutor.

"He said he would smooth out his clothes and rubbed his penis over the gown and said: 'There you are. You look special'."

The younger brother stayed overnight every two to three weeks for several years and says Father Hewitt bathed him, lingering between his legs.

The priest also asked the boy to wash him and took him to bed, where he was abused, the jury were told.

"These activities took place thirty to forty times," said Mr. Banerjee. "The same thing happened four or five times when the defendant took him to a bungalow in Norfolk."

The defendant was questioned by police in April, last year. "He denied anything of a sexual nature ever happened."

Father Hewitt, of Bromley College, London Road, Bromley has pleaded not guilty to five counts of indecently assaulting the older brother between June 15, 1980 and June 16, 1982.

He denies two counts of repeatedly indecently assaulting the younger brother between May 13, 1982 and May 14, 1989, plus one count of indecency with a child in relation to the same complainant.

Trial continues…………..

Pro Male Belly Dancer Caged For Sex Attacks On Female Students

A professional male belly dancer and whirling dervish, who raped one student and sexually assaulted two others, has been locked-up for thirteen years.

Shafik Abd El Hamed, 30, (pictured) of Warburton Street, Hackney raped the 23 year-old woman during an audition at his home after asking to see how quickly she could undress.

The second woman, aged 33, was subjected to a sex attack during a private lesson and a 31 year-old was molested while the defendant helped her prepare for a show.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard Abd El Hamed, who ran his own business teaching belly dancing, claim the only sexual activity was with the second woman and it was consensual.

The first victim attended a belly dance audition in May 2007 and was invited by the defendant to visit his studio a second time.

When she arrived she found the venue was actually his home address.

He asked her to undress, saying he needed to check how quickly she could remove her clothes backstage, and then raped her.

The second victim attended Abd El Hamed's address between March and July 2012 for private lessons.

It was during these lessons she alleged she was raped and the defendant was convicted of causing her to engage in sexual activity without consent.

The third victim booked a dance lesson with Abd El Hamed in October 2011 ahead of a show she was taking part in.

He then sexually assaulted her during that lesson.

Detective Constable Jacqueline Burns, the investigating officer from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: "Abd El Hamed ran a successful business and was respected in the belly dancing community, both as a performer and teacher.

"He used this to his advantage to rape and sexually assault three different women.

“I praise their courage in coming forward, it has been an incredibly stressful and traumatic time for them, and am pleased that Abd El Hamed has been convicted."

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and is subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order with out time limit.

Local Drug Dealer Caged

A drug dealer, who was found with almost £150,000 in heroin and cocaine stashed in two parked cars during a police raid, has been jailed for five years.

Lester Jacobs, 30, (pictured) of Law Street, Southwark was arrested when a warrant was executed by officers from the Chaucer Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

He was convicted at the Old Bailey of possession of the class A drugs, with intent to supply, on January 24, last year.

Cash totalling £4,420 was also confiscated and he was ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge.



A search of the address revealed £2,200 in cash in one of the bedrooms along with the keys for two vehicles, which were parked on the estate.

These vehicles were searched and found to contain crack cocaine and heroin with a street value of just over £145,000.

The drugs were also found with the equipment necessary for their preparation and distribution at street level. 



Jacobs was arrested and was subsequently charged with the possession of the drugs with intent to supply.



An investigation revealed Jacobs was on bail for a similar offence in late 2012 when he was found in possession of 100 wraps of class A drugs and £2,600 cash when he was stopped and searched by a patrolling officer who had noticed him acting suspiciously in the local area.



Jacobs was also charged with those additional offences. 



Detective Constable James Woods said: “This is a prime example of the type of work that goes on across Southwark on a daily basis.

“If anyone living in Southwark has any suspicion that those living in their community are involved in this kind of activity I would urge them to get in touch with us or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Owner Of Notorious Savage Dogs Convicted After 4 Year-Old Girl Mauled

The owner of two illegal pit bull-type mongrels, one of which clamped its jaws around the head of a four-year girl and dragged her off her scooter, has been convicted.

Hezron Curtis, 35, (pictured) was walking the animals in Kentish Town on December 4, last year when the toddler, who was with her mother and eight year-old brother was attacked near Gospel Oak station.

He was found guilty of possession of a prohibited dog and two counts of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a public place.

Curtis, of Laurier Road, Kentish Town knew one of the dogs was a danger after it chased a cat into a home in Denyer Estate, Camden four months earlier - bit a man - then killed the cat.

The young girl injured in December was taken to hospital with serious facial injuries, including potentially life changing injuries to her eye.

Investigating officers would later view shocking CCTV footage of the incident, which showed the dog jumping up and attacking the child completely unprovoked, biting her face and pulling her off her scooter.

The first dangerous dog has been ordered to be destroyed.

The second dangerous dog awaits a formal Magistrates Court decision order for destruction.

As a result of the incident in December 4, police launched a review of all previous allegations of dog bites in Camden.

This matter was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), who instructed that it should be investigated by the MPS Department of Professional Standards (DPS).

Four officers are currently the subject of an internal investigation relating to the August incident.

Detective Constable Shu'aib Gafur from Camden CID said: "This was a horrific dog attack on a young girl innocently riding her scooter.

“The brutal attack was witnessed by her eight year old brother and her mother who desperately tried to rescue her daughter.

“It has been a very traumatic time for the family.

“I hope today's verdict brings some form of comfort to the family and helps them to move forward. 

Ugandan Benefits Cheats Must Repay Over £1.6M They Defrauded From Taxpayers

A notorious benefits fraudster, whose eighteen-year scam financed a property empire in her native Uganda, was ordered today to repay £1,512,344 or spend an additional six years in prison.

Ruth Nagubuzi, 50, (pic.top) was the head of the "family business" and is currently serving a six-year sentence after pleading guilty to twenty-eight counts.

Up to 100 fake children's identities were created to cheat even more money from the Department of work and Pensions and Nagubuzi also claimed to have HIV and Aids to obtain free medicine, which she sold in Africa for huge profits.

Those drugs, which were also prescribed to four other fictitious patients, cost the UK taxpayer over £2 million alone and another £154,000 went on education for the scammers.

She controlled fifteen different properties in the UK, sub-letting them to immigrants while receiving housing benefit payments totalling £650,000 and the 'family's' child benefit, disability benefit, council tax and tax credits bill was £900,000.

The rent from the tenants of those overcrowded properties netted her approximately £756,000. 

Nagubuzi, of Manor Park, east London used her illegal profits to finance the construction of two complex's in her home town of Kampala, the 'Bulaga' and 'Zana' which incorporated hotels, restaurants and a shopping centre.

"What she ran was a large scale thriving business and had almost unlimited access to false identification," said Croydon Crown Court Judge Nicholas Ainley today.

Nagubuzi  claimed to have only been motivated to help her fellow-countrymen and women - many of them orphans - to start a new life in the UK, but the judge dismissed this announcing: "She was running a large scale business for gain."

The prosecution have failed to identify her assets in this country, but Judge Ainley added: "She is perfectly capable of hiding money away. How much has gone to Uganda? I don't know.

"There are strong grounds to suggest she has access to very substantial assets in Uganda."

Beside her in the dock was fellow-fraudster Dennis Kyeyune, 30, (pic.bottom) who received thirty months imprisonment in November, 2012 and he was ordered to repay £157,791 or spend an additional two-and-a-half years in prison.

"I do not even know if this is his true identity," said Judge Ainley, describing the defendant as someone who worked closely with Nagubuzi and was involved in the export of luxury vehicles, such as Mercedes and BMW's to Uganda.