Prodigal Son Returns And Raids Disabled Dad's Accounts

An ex-publishing executive, who ended up back at the family home after his career and relationship fell apart, has been jailed for raiding his disabled pensioner father's bank accounts of £66,000 and similarly taking £1,600 from his new girlfriend.

Andrew David Metcalfe Mitchell, 42, even intercepted his father's bank statements as he recovered from a stroke and hip fracture - scanned, forged and printed them - successfully covering up his year-long theft spree.

The first-time offender, of Kendra Hall Road, South Croydon pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation between October 1, 2009 and November 21, last year, namely using his 69 year-old father Martin Mitchell's bank accounts for his own purpose.

Mitchell (pictured) similarly pleaded guilty to fraud between May 21 and November 21, last year, namely falsely representing he was entitled to make debits to girlfriend Susan Lamey's bank accounts.

Croydon Crown Court heard yesterday that Mitchell, who has a seven year-old daughter, moved back in with his dad at Chestnut Court, Wallington as his "unofficial carer."

On November 20, last year his local HSBC branch contacted Mr. Mitchell snr.

"His account was now emptied and so were his other accounts with the Nationwide and Santander," said prosecutor Mr. Andrew Ramsubhag. "His entire savings of sixty-six thousand pounds had been withdrawn over the course of a year.

"Mr. Mitchell junior had been intercepting his father's bank statements, scanning them into his computer, and altering them to show he was in funds when in fact he was pilfering from them.

"He was making cash withdrawals at ATM's, using his father's cards, and it started as soon as he began living with his father.

"The defendant's girlfriend contacted police and told them she had her cards stolen by the defendant, which were then used to withdraw from her account and purchase a ticket to leave the country and flee to France."

Mitchell was persuaded to return to the UK and gave himself up at Wallington Police Station on November 21, last year.

"He told police he was in debt up to twenty-five thousand pounds, which was a long-term drugs debt to a dealer who had been in prison and then released," explained Mr. Ramsubhag. "The rest was living expenses and buying gifts for his daughter online."

Mitchell's lawyer Mr. Robert Conway told the court: "These offences were truly shameful and disgraceful and nobody knows that more than Mr. Mitchell himself. This is someone who had monetary pressures and took it upon himself to commit this fraud.

"He moved back to provide full care to his father and is somebody who has gone from a successful publishing career to being unemployed."

The court was told recreational drug debts from raves fifteen years earlier were demanded by old acquaintances, resulting in Mitchell also turning to drink.

"This is someone whose life imploded around him and was under increasingly huge financial pressures," said Mr. Conway.

"He has suffered the guilt and shame of this and knows it will hang over him for the rest of his life.

"He has seen these relationships with those closest to him, his father, sister and girlfriend, utterly destroyed.

"He attempted to take his own life. This once successful family man took an overdose and slashed his wrists in December, last year."

Recorder Mukul Chawla QC jailed Mitchell for twelve months, telling him: "You have lost your good character, but more importantly the trust of those that are closest to you and I expect that is a shame that will never leave you.

"You abused the position of trust you had taken on in relation to your father. He was reliant on you to look after him.

"Worse than that is you not only abused that position, but you compounded what you did by falsifying bank statements, which must have left your father with a further sense of betrayal."

Photographer-To-The-Stars Cleared Of Race Assault

A National Portrait Gallery photographer - who has worked with a string of famous politicians and celebrities - was acquitted yesterday of a race-hate attack on a pregnant hajib-wearing mum during a supermarket check-out row.

Celebrated portrait photographer Cinnamon Heathcote Drury, 41, of Holland Road, West Kensington pleaded not guilty to the racially aggravated assault of Mounia Hamoumi in Tesco's, Warwick Road, on November 30, last year.

It took the Isleworth Crown Court jury only fifteen minutes to unanimously find her not guilty after a four-day trial.

Hathcote Drury told the court she was the victim of an assault by the alleged victim and sustained injuries to her shins and the side of her face.

Teen Denies Late-Night Stabbing Was Murder

A teenage knifeman, stabbed a partially-sighted car crash victim to death in a Hitchin house during a late-night row, before calmly taking his way out of a police check while on the run, a jury were told this week.

Jordan Kelly-Flattery, 19,(pic.top) of West Close, Hitchin admits stabbing 36 year-old Stondon man Graham 'Snowy' Snowden at the house in Milestone Road in the early hours of January 8, but denies murder, claiming he was acting in self-defence and used the deceased's dropped knife.

Prosecutor Mrs Ann Evans told Croydon Crown Court: "This story put forward by Mr. Kelly-Flattery is far from the truth and the reality is that he had this knife conveniently to hand so when he lost his temper his instinctive reaction was to grab for the knife he was carrying and stab Mr. Snowden, who did not have a chance to defend himself."

The court heard Mr. Snowden (pic.bottom) had very poor eyesight, walked with a cane and according to a consultant neurologist suffered from delayed reactions, which would have been exacerbated by alcohol, after a serious car crash six years ago.

On January 7 he went on an all-day drinking binge with pal Shane Howard and after leaving the Venue, Bancroft Road the friend took Mr. Snowden to a nearby house to continue partying, after exchanging texts with the defendant.

They arrived at the house, owned by Lisa Harris, just after 1am and inside were Kelly-Flattery - known as 'Faze' - and a friend of his nicknamed 'Screech'.

All five hung-out in the living room, but trouble started when Mr. Snowden tried to get up.

"The defendant pushed Mr. Snowden back down on the sofa and he took offence at this and an argument erupted between the two men," explained Mrs Evans.

Harris ordered Mr. Snowden and his friend to leave, but tragically the confrontation continued.

"Mr. Howard walked out of the house, but as he did so, he heard arguing again and turned around to see Graham with his back to the stairs and the defendant punching him to his body.

"As he rushed back in to help him blood was pouring from Mr. Snowden and Lisa Harris saw the defendant with a knife and heard him say: 'Screech. I've stabbed him'."

Kelly-Flattery fled via the living-room window and an ambulance was called, bur Mr. Snowden was pronounced dead on arrival at Lister Hospital.

The defendant sought help from a friend, whose parents run the Long Arm and Short Arm pub in Lemsford, and from there he took a mini-cab to Welwyn Garden City and was quizzed by passing police as he stood outside a Total petrol station in Stanborough.

"The police officers described the person they stopped as calm, sober and chatty," explained Mrs Evans.

Kelly-Flattery returned to the pub, borrowed clothing from his friend, Ashley Cabrita, and with his help hid his own clothes on the edge of Brocket Hall Golf Course.

The defendant confessed to Mr. Cabrita where he dumped the knife and police later recovered it - stained in Mr. Snowden's blood - from a wheelie bin in the front garden of a house in Westmill Road.

Kelly-Flattery gave himself up to police on January 10 and refused to answer questions.

"You will hear it said on behalf of the defendant that during the argument a knife fell out of Mr. Snowden's pocket," Miss Evans told the jury. "The defendant will tell you he managed to push Mr. Snowden away and only then he realised he had stabbed him."

The cause of death was a 7cm stab wound just below the base of Mr. Snowden's neck, which pierced his aorta - the largest artery in the body. A second stab wound, which went through his left arm was described by the pathologist as a possible defence injury.

The trial is expected to last two weeks………..

Celebrated Portrait Photographer Accused Of Race-Hate Attack

A National Portrait Gallery photographer - who has worked with a string of famous politicians and celebrities - branded a muslim family "suicide bombers" during a race-hate attack on a pregnant hajib-wearing mum in a supermarket check-out row, a court heard today.

Celebrated portrait photographer Cinnamon Heathcote Drury, 41, also called the family "terrorists" during the confrontation at a busy West London Tesco's before pushing the mum-of-three, who was due to give birth in three months, to the floor, the jury were told.

She has eleven permanent portraits in the gallery's collection, including London mayor Boris Johnson and Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman, and has worked with celebs such as actor Terence Stamp.

Ironically the row began when Heathcote Drury (pictured) offered to help the woman unload her shopping trolley after the complainant's husband said he was too busy looking after their children.

"You took objection to that inequality didn't you?" prosecutor Miss Nermine Abdel Sayed asked the defendant at Isleworth Crown Court. "Coupled with the woman wearing full islamic dress you waded in and instigated the whole incident."

"When your offer of help was rejected you became more confrontational and you very quickly lost control and were shouting at them," suggested the prosecutor.

"Your tone was aggressive and you used the words 'suicide bomber' and 'terrorist' and told them: 'I am a British citizen. I don't know where you are from.

"You went to the woman and pushed her."

The court also heard Heathcote Drury told the family: "You're probably claiming jobseeker's" but she denied this and the allegation of using any racist language.

"Many of those words were made up, they have misheard it for their purpose," insisted the tearful defendant. "I am the only one who was assaulted. I am the only one with injuries."

Heathcote Drury made an assault complaint to police, claiming she was tripped, kicked and punched by the wife, but this was not pursued by the investigating officers.

"You played the victim in order to get out of trouble, trying to direct attention onto them and away from you," suggested Miss Abdel Sayed.

When arrested at the Warwick Road store in Kensington Heathcote Drury replied: "Unbelievable" and told officers: "This is absolutely incorrect. I was the one who was verbally abused then assaulted."

She told the jury trouble began between herself and the husband when she offered to help the couple unload their trolley. "I told him that is what feminism is all about, women helping women, and he told me to 'get lost.'

"I said we live in a society in Great Britain where rights are equal and if you need help you can ask for it and she said: 'Mind your own business.'

"The husband came over and said: 'You f*** off' then came over again and I thought he was going to jab me with something in his hand."

A security guard broke up the row, but the prosecution say Heathcote Drury then approached the complainant and pushed her to the floor.

However, she claims she was tripped by the woman as she tried to get away from the row. "I stumbled very badly forward and I felt a shooting pain in my left shin.

"The woman was looking at me an smiling. She had wished me to fall flat on my face to humiliate me.

"She took a step forward and took a swipe at my head with her right fist and got me on my right cheek."

Heathcote Drury, of Holland Road, West Kensington has pleaded not guilty to the racially aggravated assault of Mounia Hamoumi on November 30, last year.

The trial continues…………

"Caveman" Dentist Accused Of Busting Wife's Jaw

A physically abusive "caveman" dentist, who made his jealous new bride's life hell, broke her jaw as she tried to force the family car into the path of oncoming traffic, a court heard.

Dentist Khalid Faiz, 47, and 44 year-old Hina Yakub, a cargo executive with the Emirates airline, kept up the pretence of a happy marriage, despite the violence inside their suburban home.

"They were a high-flying couple and to the outside observer they were doing very well," prosecutor Mr. Roger Daniells-Smith told the Croydon Crown Court jury yesterday.

"They were prosperous and apparently happy, but behind closed doors it was a different scene.

"As soon as they got married things started to go badly and rapidly downhill and the marriage effectively lasted one year. The downfall was domestic violence."

Father-of-three Faiz, of South Eden Park Road, Beckenham, who has a dental surgery at Southborough Lane, Bromley claims his ex is "violent and emotionally unstable."

He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing actual bodily harm to Hina on March 13 and June 29, 2010 and causing her grievous bodily harm on July 23.

The court heard just six weeks after their marriage - the second for both of them - Faiz attacked his new wife in the matrimonial home.

"He lost his temper and started slapping and punching her in the face, knocking her to the floor," explained Mr. Daniells-Smith.

"He sat on her, continued punching her, and then placed his foot on her chest, injuring her breastbone, and making it difficult for her to breathe. He effectively stamped on her.

"They put a brave face on it that nothing was going on when visiting his family, but Hina was struggling to breathe and did not eat anything.

"Her in-laws thought she was aloof, but she was in terrible pain and then went to hospital and lied to the doctors, telling them a weight had fallen on her chest at the gym."

The second assault also took place at the family home. "The defendant lost his temper and struck her," said Mr. Daniells-Smith.

"He was also grabbing her by the arms, causing her bruising, and bent the fingers on her right hand back."

Again Hina failed to report her husband to the police. "She was concerned about the shame and humiliation it would bring on the family."

By July she was convinced her husband was having an affair.

"She decided to confront him and burst into the dental surgery unexpectedly," said the prosecutor. "She grabbed the phone Mr. Faiz was using and left.

"He chased her and put her into his car to drive her home and as they were driving she grabbed the wheel and turned it into the oncoming traffic.

"He struck her in the face, he broke her jaw. Blood was splattered all over the inside of the windscreen.

"When they got home he dragged her upstairs by the hair, smearing blood on the walls, and hit her again. It was caveman stuff.

"She grabbed all of the tablets she could in the house and took them, attempting suicide," said Mr. Daniells-Smith. "She rang all the members of her family, including her mother and twenty-two year-old daughter to say goodbye."

Police found Hina wandering the streets and she later reported the assaults.

When quizzed Faiz claimed she was prone to epileptic fits and had injured herself in falls.

"He said she he was driving she was trying to kill them both and he had no choice, but to strike her."

Trial continues………….

Two Plotters In Boiling Water Torture Kidnap Plan Caged

Two members of a kidnap and ransom gang behind the abduction of a successful East London garage owner, who had boiling water poured on him during a three-day ordeal, have been caged.

Father-of-two Sukjinder Seyan - boss of 'Prestige Car Specialists', Balmoral Road, Forest Gate - needed skin grafts to his legs after his rescue by Scotland Yard's Kidnap Unit and is scarred for life.

Ashley Fields, 22, (pic.l.) of Crescent Road, Dagenham and 27 year-old Safeer Rahman (pic.r.) of Tumulus Way, Colchester, Essex denied involvement in the plot, but were convicted by a Croydon Crown Court jury.

Fields was sentenced to ten years imprisonment and Rahman eight years after they were both found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, false imprisonment and blackmail on or before January 10, last year.

"To put it bluntly he was tortured," prosecutor Mr. Roger Smart told the jury at the start of the two-week trial. "The motive was one of sheer greed.

"They thought it would be easy money to take a local businessman and brutally harm the hostage until a substantial amount of money was exchanged for his release."

The court was told mobile phone records link both defendants with the rest of the gang and Rahman - who knew the victim - was the job's "inside man" providing information on Mr. Seyan.

"This group of people thought long and hard about what they were doing," explained Mr. Smart. "There was reconnaissance and one failed attempt before they regrouped on another day.

"They had a stronghold where they kept Mr. Seyan, they had equipment there, held him there and made him call people to get money and brutally assaulted him.

"Mr. Seyan was held for three days and was badly burned by boiling water being poured over him on a number of occasions.

"He has had to undergo surgery to graft skin over the burns and is permanently scarred as a result."

The victim was held at 29 Express Drive, Ilford by other members of the gang who have already been convicted and neither Fields or Rahman is accused of physically harming him.

Fields' role is alleged to be as a "look out" and general assistant to the plan and Rahman was with the victim minutes before he was abducted - allegedly feeding information to his co-conspirators.

Other gang members, armed with a fake police warrant card, approached Mr. Seyan on January 8, last year and bundled him into a vehicle while demanding £350,000 from his safe.

At the 'stronghold' he was pushed onto a mattress and a blanket was thrown over his head, before the gang boiled a kettle of water and poured it over Mr. Seyan's leg and ankle.

He was gagged and bound with tape before a second kettle of boiling water was poured over his left leg and the next day more boiling water was poured over his left arm.

On January 9 Mr. Seyan's wife received a £50,000 ransom demand and immediately called the police who tracked the victim's location via mobile phone signals.

The gang also phoned the victim's girlfriend, demanding the same sum, and frustrated by a lack of progress poured boiling water over his back.

Mr. Seyan was rescued by police, back-up by armed officers, as he sat in a car with his captors outside Arthur Wallis House.

Man Stabs Ex-Wife And Mum-In-Law To Death

A man who stabbed his ex-wife to death on an East London street and then travelled to her home, where he killed her mother and set the property ablaze, has been jailed for life.

Sergei Zolotovsky, 44, of Gareth Drive, Edmonton was convicted of murdering Svetlana Zolotovska, 40, and Antonia Belska, 70, and will be locked-up for a minimum of thirty years.

He plunged a knife into Svetlana’s neck, chest and abdomen in Stansfield Road, Canning Town at 7.30am on August 12, last year.

Zolotovsky then went to his ex’s home in Leamouth Road, East Ham, where he also fatally stabbed Antonia, who had been visiting her daughter from her native Latvia.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Kelly, of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: “Zvetlana’s family have been devastated by Zolotovsky’s actions that night.

“They will never get over their loss but I hope that they can derive some comfort from seeing Zolotovsky being brought to account for his actions.”


After police responded to the stabbing of Svetlana they visited her home, where a fire was raging in an upstairs room, and found the injured defendant in the loft. 


A family member said: “Our family has suffered indescribable grief as a result of the cruellest murder of the closest and most loved members of our family.

“We have suffered extreme emotional stress. We are still grieving and remembering the loss of our loved ones every day.”

Croydon Armed Robbers Hunted

Flying Squad offices hunting gun-tooting robbers, who raided a Croydon store, have released these CCTV images of two of the suspects.

Three raiders entered JK Gold and Fashion House, London Road, at 1.00pm on January 10.

Two of them were armed with handguns and they threatened staff – robbing them of cash and a mobile phone.

Officers are asking anyone with information as to the identity of the two men to contact the Flying Squad in the strictest of confidence on 020 7232 6530 or to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Brother Of Footballer Jermaine Defoe Caught With Knife And Drugs

The brother of Tottenham and England striker Jermaine Defoe - caught with a knife and cannabis when strip-searched by police - was fined £225 today.

Shane Defoe, 25, (pictured) of Higham Hill Road, Walthamstow, claims he began smoking the drug again to relieve stress after his late father was diagnosed with cancer.

He pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates' Court to possessing a knife blade or sharp pointed article, namely a lock knife, at Bishopsgate Police Station on April 22 and possessing cannabis on the same occasion.

His finances are a world away from the glamorous lifestyle of his striker brother, with the court ordering a £10 weekly deduction from his Employment and Support Allowance.

Prosecutor Miss Melanie Lee told the court: "It was in the early hours, 1.15am, when officers stopped a VW Golf in Bishopsgate, which contained four occupants and Mr. Defoe was a passenger.

"When the officers stopped the vehicle they conducted a search of the vehicle and its occupants and found a small bag of cannabis in the front footwell and the four gentlemen were detained.

"Nobody would say who the cannabis belonged to and they were all subjected to a strip-search in custody and a cannabis joint was found in his trouser pocket and a six inch lock knife was found in his shorts.

"During this search Mr. Defoe removed his jeans and underneath was wearing knee-length Nike shorts.

"At this point a lock knife made off metal fell to the floor and the officer immediately stepped on it and moved it towards the cell door.

"He was interviewed and made no comment to all questions regarding the circumstances of his arrest, the cannabis or the knife.

"He prepared a statement in which he said: 'I admit possession of the cannabis found on my person. I am sorry for this and know it is against the law'."

At Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in January last year Defoe received a small fine for possessing cannabis.

"In relation to the lock knife there is nothing similar on his record," added Miss Lee.

Defoe's lawyer Ms Maha Sardar told the court: "Mr. Defoe has pleaded guilty to both offences at his first available opportunity on his first appearance.

"As you heard it was a small amount of cannabis on his person for his personal use.

"After his previous conviction he put a stop to using cannabis, but after his father became ill he did occasionally smoke cannabis to alleviate the stress.

"Moments before the car was stopped a passenger gave him the bladed article to hold. It was not used to threaten anyone or cause fear.

"Mr. Defoe has shown extreme remorse for his actions.

"Given the recent passing of Mr. Defoe's father on the seventh of June a community order, with an unpaid work requirement, would not be appropriate.

"He is not employed and doesn't have any savings," added Ms Sardar, explaining Defoe's benefits restart on July 7 after they were cancelled when he failed to sign-on.

Magistrate Mr Spyro Elias told Defoe: "The bladed article is very, very serious. There are guidelines that it is a custodial sentence, first time or not."

Defoe was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge, but when asked for a contribution complained: "I literally have just come with my travel fare. I have ten pounds, but need five pounds to go home."

He was ordered to pay the £5 immediately and Mr. Elias added: "As and when your benefits do start you can inform the court to make the deduction.

"A collection order means if you do not pay your fine someone will knock on your door to recover the value of the fine. Don't ignore it."

The magistrate added: "We have read on the report that he has an extremely supportive family."

Failed Asylum-Seeker Murdered Girlfriend Day After Visa Defeat

A failed Iranian asylum seeker – who battered his teenage girlfriend with a hammer before strangling her – failed in his final appeal to remain in the UK the day before.

Ako Khalid, 19, of High Street, Barkingside pleaded guilty to murdering student Cheryl Tariah, 17, (pictured) at his hostel on February 7.

He was sentenced at the Old Bailey to life imprisonment – with a recommendation he serve ten-and-a-half years.

Khalid claimed he lost his temper after Cheryl confessed to cheating on him with another man.

Police were called shortly before 4.00pm, following reports of a disturbance at a flat along the high street.

Officers attended and discovered the body of Cheryl, from Chelmsford, Essex. 



A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as compression of the neck. 



Khalid boasted to a pal he had repeatedly struck Cheryl with a hammer, before strangling her.

He was arrested three days later at Dover, trying to smuggle himself out of the country, clinging to the underside of a lorry.

Balaclava Bandits Binned

Two prolific masked robbers who targeted betting-shops in East London – raiding one bookies four times - have each been jailed for eight years.

John Crick, 37, (pic.top) and Jason Chin, 40, (pic.bottom) only netted £2,000 from the robberies, during which they terrified staff by convincing them they were armed.

They were hunted down by Flying Squad officers, based at Barking, identifying Chin while he was serving a four-year robbery sentence, having been sentenced in 2000 to twelve years for a string of robberies.

Both Crick and Chin would enter the betting-shops wearing balaclavas.

One of them would go directly to the counter and either intimate a firearm or brandish a bag suggesting a weapon was concealed within, forcing staff to hand over cash.



The second male would wait and hold the door to the premises, securing an easy escape.



The offences were:
28 November 2010 - Corals, 97 Southgate Road, Islington.

10 December 2010 - William Hill, 51 Wilton Way, Hackney. 


31 December 2010 - William Hill, 355 Wick Road, Homerton. 


2 February 2011 – Ladbrokes, 81-83 Mare Street, Hackney. 


2 February 2011 - Corals, 97 Southgate Road, Islington. 


5 February 2011 - William Hill, 406 Hackney Road, Brthnal Green. 


8 June and 5 November 2011 - Corals, 97 Southgate Road, Islington. 


5 November 2011 - William Hill, 167 Mare Street, Hackney.



A search of an address linked to Chin led to the recovery of a distinctive black fur-lined hooded jacket worn by one suspect during the spate of robberies.


His accomplice, Crick carried on solo to commit further offences but was later identified by the Flying Squad and arrested.

A search of his home revealed several key items, including jackets worn throughout the series of offences and a distinctive pair of trainers and jeans worn during the robberies. 



Investigating officer Detective Constable Mike Baines said: “Despite the low gain, these men continued to rob bookmakers, causing staff a great deal of distress.

“Criminals intent on targeting commercial premises will continue to attract the scrutiny of the Flying Squad.”

'Safe House' Gunman Jailed For Storing Rifles

A man caught in a police swoop on his North London home with two powerful assault rifles in the wardrobe of his spare room has been jailed for six years.

Mohammed Ismail, 29, of Plowmans Close, Upper Edmonton was arrested by the Metropolitan Police’s Central Task Force, who were supported by armed officers from CO19.

They recovered a Belgian Fabrique Nationale fully-automatic assault rifle and a semi-automatic L1A1 self-loading rifle (pictured) – capable of firing up to 460m - during the February 26 raid.

Ismail pleaded guilty at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court to possession of prohibited weapons.

Officers believe he may have been storing the weapons for other individuals, with his premises being used as a safe house.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Wagstaff said: “My officers are constantly seeking to target the upper echelons of organised crime linked to the supply of firearms to gang members within London’s Boroughs.

“This is an excellent example of their expertise in supporting the efforts of borough and Trident teams in tackling gang violence.

“The self-loading rifle is an extremely devastating assault rifle and this seizure means that two more live weapons have been taken off the streets of London.”