People-Trafficking Pimps Jailed For Prostitute Plot

Two pimps who trafficked young Eastern European women for prostitution – plying them with ecstasy and cocaine and holding them to an £80,000 debt – have both been locked-up.

Punters were charged up to £200-a-time to have sex with the girls at exclusive West London addresses, leaving the duped victims feel “sick” and “disgusting.”

Sergey Konart, 41, (pic.top) received ten years and Ekaterina Kolesnikova, 26, (pic.bottom) received two-and-a-half years imprisonment after admitting trafficking and prostitution charges.

Southwark Crown Court heard officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Command arrested the pair in December, last year.

Two addresses were searched in Chelsea; two in Bayswater and one in Earl’s Court, plus a Knightsbridge safety deposit box held by Konart.

The pair - part of a ruthless Russian-based organised criminal network - recruited vulnerable young women to come to the UK by promising them well-paid jobs as waitresses, shop assistants or dancers. 



Once in the UK they took the girls’ ID’s, passports and travel documents and forced them to work as prostitutes to pay-off an £80,000 debt bond.

They were threatened with violence and plied with ecstasy and cocaine to gain compliance. 



One victim said the work she was forced into made her “skin crawl” and made her feel “sick” because many of the clients were “disgusting”.

She “hated” her life and knew it was very harmful to her health and was having a large impact on her mental state.

Another victim stated: “I felt used and thrown away.”



Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland said: “Konart and Kolesnikova recruited vulnerable young women on the promise of well paid employment in the UK.

“On their arrival in London they were forced into prostitution in some of the capital’s exclusive areas.”

Wheelchair-Bound Looter Locked-Up

A wheelchair-bound looter - caught on CCTV with a huge flatscreen television snatched from a shop in South-East London during the capital's week of rioting - has been jailed.

David Christopher Knott, 18, of Bromhedge, Eltham, was recovering from a broken leg when he decided to join in the mad frenzy for high-value electrical goods along with the rest of the mob.

He pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court to handling the stolen ALBA television, stolen from Argos, Powis Street, Woolwich.

CCTV footage showed Knott waiting in his wheelchair outside the warehouse store for an accomplice who places the television in his lap and wheels him away.

Knott was sentenced to twelve months custody.

Danger Party-Drug 'Meow Meow' Seized By Police

A police operation has resulted in the seizure of £100,000 worth of notorious party-drug 'Meow Meow' when a car was stopped in North-West London.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Central Task Force stopped the silver Vauxhall Vectra in Sudbury Drive, Wembley, which contained 51 kilos of the drug stuffed inside four cardboard boxes.

Class B Cathinone Derivative - nicknamed 'Meow Meow' - has been linked to several deaths and seizures amongst young people.

The 26 year old male driver of the car was arrested on suspicion of possession, with intent to supply, the drug and was taken into police custody.

Detective Inspector Colin Stephenson said: "This arrest and seizure has disrupted a significant supply of Meow Meow within London and the Home Counties.

"It will reinforce the message that the Metropolitan Police Service will continue to combat the criminal networks engaged in drug trafficking"

Pensioner Kills Frail Wife

A pensioner who ended his fifty-seven year marriage by stabbing his frail wife to death has been sent to a psychiatric hospital after admitting manslaughter.

Frank Crowther, 88, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey (pictured) to killing 83 year-old Winifred on December 9, last year at their home in Lumley Road, Sutton.

Police were contacted by a neighbour who was concerned for the welfare of the couple, who not been seen for a couple of days.



Officers entered the house and found Winifred dead with multiple stab wounds and Frank collapsed and unconscious.



A post mortem confirmed she died from her stab wounds.



Frank Crowther was in a critical condition, suffering from pneumonia and some self inflicted wounds and he had also taken an overdose.

The Crowther’s were described as a loving couple, however, in recent years Winifred had become increasingly ill and Frank struggled to cope.



Detective Chief Inspector Amanda Hargreaves said: “This was an extremely sad incident where an elderly man who was seriously ill himself was overcome by his mental health leading to the tragic death of his wife Winifred.

“My sympathies go to the Crowther family who have endured this terrible incident, and I hope that they can all now move on and grieve their loss privately.”

Gang-Busting Cops Nail Two Thugs

Two young East London thugs, who launched a brutal armed gang attack on a pair of drinkers as they left a local pub, have both been locked-up.

Gang-busting Met cops in Operation Connect headed the investigation into the unprovoked attack, involving a large group of youths armed with a variety of weapons – including an iron bar.

Waltham Forest pair Monsur Zaman, 20, (pic.top) received eighteen months and Eren Mehmet, 18, (pic.bottom) received two years at Snaresbrook Crown Court for grievous bodily harm.

On Friday April 8, the victims, aged 41 and 43, were drinking in a Leytonstone High Road pub and were suddenly rushed by the group when they left at around 9:45pm.

One victim fell to the floor during the attack and was repeatedly kicked, punched and hit with an assortment of weapons including an iron bar. 



The second victim shouted at the group, hoping to frighten off the youths, but they simply turned on him.

One victim received 18 stitches to his ear and the other received cuts to his face that also required stitches.



Officers from Operation Connect launched an investigation and quickly identified Mehmet as one of the suspects in the attack.

Evidence recovered from the scene of the attack were sent for scientific forensic examination, which later identified Zaman. 



Operation Connect analyses information from across the Metropolitan Police Service’s intelligence systems along with information from partners and communities in order to produce a centralised MPS database or matrix of the most dangerous gang members in London.

The number of 'high risk' individuals identified from intelligence analysis is likely to top 1,000 and both Mehmet and Zaman were on the matrix. 



There have been more than eighty arrests made under Operation Connect, resulting in gang members charged with offences including robbery, grievous bodily harm, possession of offensive weapons and traffic offences.

The team have also seized tens of thousands of pounds in cash.



Detective Chief Inspector Tim Champion said: “This was a vicious attack by the pair which left lasting psychological and physical effects on their victims.



“Operation Connect will continue to work on reducing violence driven by gang culture and to identify and successfully target those gang members on our matrix.

“We would like to thank the bravery of the victims and witnesses for giving evidence and hope today's result will bring some closure.”

Twelve Years For Heroin Dealer

A drug dealer caught with 20 kilos of heroin when undercover cops stopped his car near his East London home has been jailed for twelve years.

Ekram Arslan, 41, of Poole Road, Homerton also had brown powder to bulk out the drugs plus paraphernalia used to prepare the heroin for onward distribution.

He pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court to possessing the class A drug, with intent to supply, on June 7.

Arslan was arrested by officers from the Met’s Central Task Force carrying a shoebox, which when searched contained three block packages of heroin.

His home was searched and in a padlocked shed police found two further boxes (pictured) containing eleven and twenty-one blocks, plus a shoebox containing a single block.

Also found were scales, clingfilm and knives.



Detective Constable Paul Buckle said: “This was a significant recovery of class A drugs which I have no doubt were destined for the streets of London.”

A confiscation and forfeiture hearing is scheduled for early 2012.

Boozy Businessman Fined For Train Guard Blow

A ‘commuter rage’ business development manager, who punched a train guard in the face as he travelled home following an after-work drinking-session, has been left with an £845 court bill.

Anthony Charles Gardiner, 46, of Montgomerie Court, Forest View, Chingford lashed out at Liverpool Street Station, claiming his rail enquiry was met with a “sarcastic comment.”

He pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court to assaulting Luke Francis on May 27 after the prosecution dropped a charge that the attack on the black victim was racially aggravated.

“It is a very, very serious incident that has happened,” bench chairwoman Stella Braid told Gardiner. “Mr. Francis was working that day, doing his job and we believe you had been drinking.”

“Mr. Francis says that this has effected him in his work and how he deals with customers,” added the magistrate fining the defendant £480, with £315 costs and ordering him to pay £50 compensation.

Prosecutor Mr. Ijaz Malik told the court Gardiner, who admits he had a few drinks, but denies being drunk, asked platform staff if he was correctly boarding the next train to Chingford and was told: “Yes, sir.”

However, the enquiry quickly escalated into a verbal confrontation with the defendant shouting and swearing.

Mr. Francis approached him and CCTV captured the moment Gardiner swung his arm and punched the guard in the face, causing swelling and bruising around his eye, which required hospital treatment.

The defendant was restrained by staff on the floor and claims he himself was the victim of an assault, insisting he was covered in blood from multiple facial cuts when police arrived.

“The prosecution say it was a deliberate and unprovoked assault,” added Mr. Malik. “The victim says he feels devastated and shocked to be punched by a passenger.”

Gardiner said the row worsened when he felt Mr. Francis was trying to move him off the platform, but accepts his response was “excessive.”

The defendant ran his own business for sixteen years until the partnership was recently dissolved and is now employed in East London.

John Lewis Warehouseman Flogged Nicked Laptops On Ebay

A John Lewis warehouseman who stole ten laptops over five months – selling them for quick profit on eBay after his family’s saving were wiped-out in a Dubai property scam – has dodged jail with a suspended sentence.

Father-of-three Rehmatullah Kadri, 38, of Florence House, Florence Road, Kingston-upon-Thames was finally caught on CCTV hiding two computers in a food processor box.

“What you did was not just dishonest, but a gross breach of trust to your employers and co-employees,” Judge Nicholas Price QC told Kadri at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court.

“John Lewis is a partnership. Profits are shared amongst staff so you robbed not just your employer, but the employees and it was pre-meditated and lasted a long time.”

Indian-born Kadri, who has a first-class honours degree from his home country, pleaded guilty to stealing the laptops from the Kingston-upon-Thames department store between November 1, last year and April 8 and converting criminal property.

The court heard an internal email on August 5, last year alerted management to the strong suspicion the defendant was stealing laptops by hiding them inside other boxes.

He was eventually caught when purchasing a food processor and secretly hiding two laptops, worth £3,600, within the box in the warehouse collection area.

When police searched his home they found £6,710 cash stashed in a safe, which first-time offender Kadri admitted was the profit of eBay sales from eight previous laptops he stole.

The court was told the theft spree began when the defendant’s family lost £24,000 in a Dubai property fraud, despite efforts by the Met police and the local MP to recoup the money.

Kadri wrote a letter to his ex-bosses saying: “I am not sure what led me to do this. The worst thing was betraying my colleagues. John Lewis was like a second home to me.”

Judge Price sentenced the defendant to 30 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and ordered him to perform 120 hours community service work.

A £6,710 compensation order to John Lewis was also made.

“You are a highly qualified and highly intelligent man that has brought shame on yourself and your family,” Judge Price told Kadri. “You have put your whole family at risk.”

Nightclub Thug Caged

A nightclub thug, who twice flunked his court-ordered community service, was jailed for two months today for violently hitting his victim over the head with a belt and intimidating him with a broken bottle.

Halmat Reza, 20, of The Broadway, Wealdstone claimed migraines caused by three metal plates in his skull prevented him from doing the work, but this was dismissed by a judge.

“I am satisfied you are just not prepared to do this work,” Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court Judge Paul Dodgson told Reza. “You were given one final chance, but did nothing.”

Reza pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour outside the Oceana Nightclub, Kingston-upon-Thames (pictured) on February 10 and was originally sentenced to a community order with 80 hours community service work.

The court heard police were called to a fight and CCTV evidence later showed Reza approaching another young man from behind and striking him over the back of the head with his belt.

He also picked up a bottle, smashed it, and used the weapon to intimidate the victim after the group moved to a nearby car park.

Reza dropped the broken bottle when police arrived, telling them there had been a “bad feeling” in the nightclub and he feared the victim was calling for back-up.

The defendant has only completed six-and-a-half hours of the order, claiming a head injury caused by a violent hammer-attack four years ago restricted his ability to work.

“You have decided to just not bother and the time has come for you to go to prison,” Judge Dodgson told Reza.

City IT Man Fired For Boozy Race Assault

An IT engineer was fired after just one week with City watchdogs after a race-hate attack on a security guard at the building, following an all-night drinking-session with his new colleagues.

Simon Leavesley, 35, of Leinster Square, Paddington is an £800 per week computer expert and had just won a three-month contract with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

He pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates' Court today to the racially aggravated assault of Toyin Ijabuola on August 20 at Lloyds Chambers, 1 Portsoken Street, Aldgate.

Leavesley, who had just downed six to seven pints while celebrating his first week in the job, was denied entry to the building just before midnight when he returned to collect his laptop and gym clothes.

"The security guard failed to recognise him and refused him entry to the premises because he was drunk," prosecutor Varinder Hayre told the court.

"Mr. Leavesley became aggressive and pushed the victim twice, calling him a black c*** and a f***ing idiot.

"Mr. Ijabuola was left quite shaken by how aggressive Mr. Leavesley was towards him and was upset about being racially abused.

"As the defendant walked towards the exit door he lunged at a second security guard, causing him to step backwards because he thought he was going to be hit by Mr. Leavesley.

"The defendant remained outside for some time, banging and kicking the doors several times," added Mrs Hayre. "Police were called and he was arrested.

"He told the officers he had met a woman who led him on and he was still frustrated and that is how things started and that he was disgusted with himself.

"He said he was so drunk he could not remember leaving the pub and regretted using words he would not normally use and had black and asian friends.

"He said that he felt he had let everyone down and it was out of character for him and he had no excuse."

The court heard Leavesley felt "obliged" to join his new colleagues for after-work drinks and consumed much more alcohol than he normally would.

Leavesley has since found a similar £160 per day job near Bond Street.

He was fined £400, with £90 costs and ordered to pay the victim £50 compensation.

Suitcase Murder Horror: Fugitive Caged

A sex killer who stabbed his temporary flatmate to death and dumped her body in a suitcase before fleeing to the Middle East has been jailed for life – twelve years after the horrific murder.

Moroccan-born Fatima Kama, 28, (pic.top) was discovered in a car park at Heathrow Airport on July 17, 1999 curled inside the suitcase.

Yousseff Ahmed Mosalam, 42, (pic.middle) was also staying at a mutual friend’s flat at 9 Portsea Hall, Portsea Place, Bayswater and following the murder, fled abroad eventually being captured in Bahrain.

He was convicted at the Old Bailey and sentenced to a minimum of twenty-four years before he can be considered for parole.

Detective Chief Inspector John McFarlane of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command said: “This was a callous and shocking murder which left a family grieving the loss of a beloved daughter.



“Wahid spent twelve years evading police and refused to face up to what he had done, I am pleased that Fatima's family have finally got justice and that Wahid is behind bars, where he belongs.”



Fatima’s body was found abandoned in the suitcase (pic.bottom) - left on an airport luggage trolley on the third level of Terminal Three’s car park.

It was forced open by a security guard after being pointed out by a concerned member of the public.

Fatima had arrived in London on July 10 from her adopted Canada and had stayed at the flat during previous visits

A post mortem at Ealing Hospital mortuary revealed Fatima had been subjected to multiple stab wounds and was sexually assaulted.



In 2010 Wahid was traced to Bahrain and became the first fugitive to be extradited from the country to the UK.

'Dangerous' Strangler Caged For Bar Toilet Attack

A strangler who tried to kill a woman in the toilets of a West End bar – trapping her in a cubicle during a terrifying ten-minute ordeal – has been locked-up for a minimum of nine years and labelled a ‘dangerous offender’.

Portuguese-born Pedro Ricardo Eusebio Santos, 30, (pictured) was convicted by a jury of attempting to murder the 22 year-old woman at the bar in Upper St. Martin’s Lane, on November 25, last year.

He was captured on CCTV loitering outside the ladies toilets at 3.40pm and entering moments after the victim, who he did not know, went inside.

As she exited the cubicle Santos punched her violently in the face and pushed her back inside, locking the toilet door behind him.

He strangled the frightened woman to the point of unconsciousness – bringing her to the brink of death – before fleeing into the busy streets outside.

Eusebio was identified when using his bank card at a nearby cashpoint in Charing Cross Road and was arrested at home six weeks later.

He was identified at Southwark Crown Court as a ‘dangerous offender’ and given an indeterminate sentence with a nine-year minimum.

Detective Constable Louise Rochester said: “This violent attack had an enormous impact on the victim and she is undoubtedly lucky to be alive.

“She has shown great courage in her support for the investigation and during the subsequent trial.

“Eusebio Santos lay in wait for the victim and acted in the knowledge that she would be totally unable to defend herself against him.

“This sentence reflects the violent and wholly unprovoked nature of the crime and the affect it has had on the victim.”

Two-Time Rapist Trapped By Old DNA

A notorious rapist - who pounced on two young lone women in the 1990’s – has finally been caught and convicted after his DNA was taken when arrested for having perverted images.

Ex-cobbler Frank Joseph Watson, 47, of Gibbon Close, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire raped a 22 year-old in 1991 and an 18 year-old in 1997 – threatening to cut the second victim into pieces.

He was arrested on April 20 by Hertfordshire Constabulary and a routine DNA swab linked him to the cold case rapes committed in Potters Bar and Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

On September 13, 1991 the 22-year-old woman, who was walking home along Darkes Lane, was grabbed and dragged to the ground by Watson.

Six years later, on August 21, 1997, Watson attacked an 18-year-old woman who had been out walking on Aberford Park, Brook Road.

He grabbed her from behind by the neck, and demanded: “You better lie down before I stab you, or I'll cut you into little pieces.”

Watson forced the victim to the ground and then raped her.

In both cases Watson, who did not know his victims, made off, leaving the women where he attacked them.



At the time detectives made extensive enquiries, and the two offences were linked.

Forensic evidence was gathered, however, it was not enough to be progressed because of DNA technology available at the time



The Metropolitan Police Cold Case Sapphire Team reopened the investigation in early 2011.

Watson’s DNA was matched with other samples taken during the course of the original investigation owing to the enhancement in forensic technology. 



Detective Constable Danny Maiden, said: “This case shows how together with our colleagues from other forces, offenders can be brought to justice even years after an offence has been committed.

“I give thanks to the hard work of officers and those who deal with forensic evidence, and pay tribute to both victims who have bravely given their accounts at court.

“I hope this result gives some sense of closure to the victims who have had to live with this horrifying ordeal for many years.

“This decision proves that men like Watson will not evade justice, not matter what length of time passes, and that the Met will continue to pursue criminals through all means available to us.”



Watson was convicted of both rapes after a five-day trial at the Old Bailey and admitted making and possessing indecent images. He will be sentenced on October 21.

Insurance Broker's £30K Drink-Drive Smash

A Porsche-driving Lloyds insurance broker's career is in ruins after he crashed into three parked cars - leaving a £30,000 trail of wreckage in his wake after a lunchtime City drinking-session.

Father-of-three Darren Conlon, 44, (pic.top) was nearly twice the drink-drive limit when he collided with the vehicles in his 911 Turbo - ripping off his front wheel on impact.

He fled the scene of carnage on foot, swinging a punch in the direction of one chasing victim, as he tried to get to his apartment in the shadow of the Gherkin building.

Conlon, of Creechurch Lane escaped prison with a suspended sentence, but still faces the prospect of the Financial Services Authority stripping him of his licence, which allows him to work in his industry.

"It is clear the whole incident was caused by excess alcohol over a considerable period of time," bench chairman Mr. Terry Rodgers told Conlon at City of London Magistrates' Court.

"The reading was still nearly twice the limit some considerable time after you stopped drinking.

"You were completely out of it when you decided to drive your car nearer your home. It is surprising no injury was caused to a pedestrian or road user and it is lucky no-one was seriously injured or worse."

Conlon pleaded guilty to driving his Porsche, which sported personalised 'REN' number plate's, dangerously and with excess alcohol in his blood in Bury Street on July 14 and failing to stop after causing three accidents.

He was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to perform 150 hours community service, disqualified from driving for twenty-two months and ordered to pay £85 costs.

Prosecutor Mrs Varinder Hayre told the court it was 6:20pm when Conlon's Porsche collided with three parked cars, first a Lexus followed by an Audi and Vauxhall Astra van whose driver was nearby.

"The victim was sitting outside the Gherkin building when he heard a loud bang and an engine revving and saw the Porsche's front passenger-side wheel fly off followed by the rear passenger side tyre which bounced into the road.

"He saw the driver get out of the car and he appeared to stagger backwards and sideways and made off.

"The victim and another member of the public tried to stop him at which point Mr. Conlon turned and tried to punch the man whose van was damaged.

"He did this by swinging at the man with a clenched fist, but missed him. The victim said he was shaken up and frightened by the whole incident."

Conlon was arrested soon afterwards in the hallway of his apartment building and officers immediately smelled alcohol on his breath.

He "grunted and nodded" when asked if he had been in an accident a later gave a blood alcohol reading of 157 milligrammes - the legal limit is 80.

The Nexus repair bill for damage plus car hire for the owner totalled £23,500; the Audi needed £1,400 in repairs and the Astra van £5,900.

"He said he remembered drinking in the New Moon pub, Leadenhall Market and recalled having four pints of Fosters and two vodka and tonics and after that feeling 'funny'," explained Mrs Hayre.

"He said he did not remember going to get his car, but did remember a crash and running while feeling he was being chased."

Conlon stopped drinking at 3pm and got behind the wheel three hours later.

Remarkably, the defendant's insurance policy will cover the entire compensation bill despite him being over the limit.

He told the magistrates: "I would like to apologise to the victims for any distress caused. I apologise to the court, I am sorry for my actions. It was out of character."

Conlon's lawyer Mr. Scott Osbourne said: "Before you is a professional hardworking man who has made a series of poor decisions and ironically is an insurance broker.

"He is deeply embarrassed and disgusted and this has caused considerable strain on his marriage after he had to explain to his wife what happened.

"He also has to explain to his three young children why daddy cannot drive them to and from their daily activities."

Conlon has sons aged sixteen months, eight and eleven years and the oldest two attend private school.

"He recognises what he did was entirely wrong," added Mr. Osbourne. "This was an absolute aberration.

"He has written a letter to all the owners expressing his horror and remourse at what he has done and has admitted full liability."

Conlon denies aiming a punch at the victim, insisting he simply turned around when grabbed from behind.

The Astra van claim was settled for £11,000 and the two others are in the process of being settled.

The court heard self-confessed car enthusiast Conlon's regular business travel to the USA may be effected by the convictions.

Mr. Rodgers added: "You did not wait, but tried to get away and turned and tried to execute a punch, which luckily did not make any contact.

"We accept your behaviour was out of character and you have good support from your employer and have co-operated with the police and shown remourse.

"You have also contacted your victims and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity."

The magistrates also ordered Conlon to pass an extended driving test before his licence can be returned at the end of the disqualification.