Cocaine Dealer On The Run

Police are hoping to catch a fugitive drug dealer convicted of dealing £70,000 worth of cocaine.

Ngozi Egbert Ubani, 51, (pictured) of Manton Road, Enfield jumped bail before his trial in July 2010, but was convicted in his absence.

He was found guilty at Wood Green Crown Court to supplying two kilos of the drug at an address in Lansdowne Road, Tottenham, North London on October 5, 2009.

Ubani was sentenced to twelve years imprisonment and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He is believed to have connections in countries around the world.

Police have made extensive enquiries to try to locate Ubani and are appealing to the public to assist.


Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or call Detective Constable Jordan Ford on 020 7230 3362. 

Supermarket Robbers Caged For Armed Cash Snatch

Four young armed robbers – who threatened supermarket staff at gunpoint to hand over cash from the tills – have been caged for a total of fourteen years.

Two of the gang held-up the Co-Op in Greenford Avenue, Ealing, West London on February 23 – brandishing a silver handgun.

Money was placed inside a plastic bag and the robbers fled.

Police viewed CCTV and with the help of staff had good descriptions of the gang.

Just half-an-hour later, at 10.25pm, the four defendants were stopped in a white Audi in nearby Kennedy Road.

They are: Abdi Abdullah, 21, (top l.) of Hitherbroom Road, Hayes, who received five years.

Khalid Farah, 21, (top r.) of Old Oak Common Lane, Acton, who received two years and six months.

Ahmed Sufi, 23, (bottom l.) of Belgrave Road, Walthamstow, who received three years and six months.

Mursal Yahye, 23, (bottom r.) of Maple Road, Hayes, who received three years.

All four pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob the supermarket and possession of an imitation firearm.

When police stopped the Audi vehicle the silver revolver was found in a plastic bag.

Detective Chief Inspector Harry Hennigan said: "The fast thinking and keen eye of officers ensured that these men have been brought to justice." 

Lawyer Gets Life For Beating Wife To Death

A solicitor, who beat his wife to death and told her family: “Come take your sister's dead body from my flat,” has ben jailed for life.

Mohammed Habib Rahman, 32, (pictured) regularly beat 32 year-old Jasmin Chowdhury and previous attacks resulted in a black eye and a broken finger.

However, she remained silent and never reported these assaults to police.

He was convicted at the Old Bailey of murdering Mrs Chowdhury at their East London home in Stanliff House, Cassilis Road, where she was found with serious head injuries on December 17, last year and will serve a minimum of 18 years.

Relatives had raised the alarm after being unable to reach her and receiving a series of shocking texts from the defendant, which indicated she was dead

Police forced entry to the property and rushed Mrs Chowdhury to the Royal London Hospital, but she died three days later.

Rahman was arrested on December 18 when officers spotted his car in Commercial Road.

Investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector John Nicholson, from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command (HSCC), said: "Rahman is a violent man and it is clear his wife had suffered at his hands before.

“During the investigation a friend of Jasmine's told us she had seen her with previous 'accidental' injuries including a black eye and a broken finger, although Jasmin never contacted police.



"We are satisfied at the conviction and would urge anyone suffering from domestic violence to get in touch with police.

“We take all cases extremely seriously and this tragic murder shows just what can happen if matters escalate."



Jasmin's family said: "We are devastated by the loss of our sister.

“We wanted justice for her.

“Jasmin was a kind, caring, thoughtful, selfless and beautiful person.

“We miss her dearly and love her so much. Words cannot describe how traumatised we are, having had our sister taken away from us forever in such a horrific manner." 

Landlady Jailed For Benefits Scam

A benefit cheat, who created a bogus landlord to claim £48,000 while renting out another property she owned, was jailed for a year today.

Clarissa Ihenacho, 55, claimed her matrimonial home was owned by the Family Education Helpline, but she had created the organisation and its HQ was a house she owned in a neighbouring borough.

"The defendant set out to defraud the state and when she was caught she told lie after lie after lie," said Croydon Crown Court Recorder Andrew Campbell-Tiech QC. "She forged documents to show she paid rent on a house she owned."

The court (pictured) heard the Nigerian mother-of-five also falsely claimed to have a phd from Paris's Sorbonne - insisting she should be addressed as 'Dr. Ihenacho' - and even appealed against the decision to suspend her claim when the fraud was exposed.

She was convicted of five counts of dishonestly making a false statements between June 27, 2005 and July 18, 2008 in relation to a housing and council tax benefit claim for Pemdevon Road, West Croydon.

She was also convicted of furnishing false documentation on or before June 27, 2005 and two counts of falsely representing between September 1, 2006 and September 6, 2009 she owned no property in relation to an income support claim.

Ihenacho resided at the Pemdevon Road address with her husband, whose name was on the property deeds, while renting out an address in Links Road, Tooting, which had been divided into two flats and occupied by more benefit claimants. 

"The defendant supplied a false tenancy agreement in her application for housing benefit and furnished false information to back up the lie," said prosecutor Miss Francesca Levett.

"The information named the Family Education Helpline as the landlord when, in fact, her husband was the owner of the property and she had a finical interest in it.

"She also failed to declare a number of bank accounts that would have shown she was receiving rent and income from other sources.

"She claimed to be a tenant even though she knew her husband owned the property.

"The defendant was the Family Education Helpline. She set it up and ran it and was the signatory of the organisation.

"It was run from the Links Road, a property owned by the defendant, and she rented it out even being paid housing benefit directly as the landlord.

"It is a contrived and systematic fraud on a commercial scale aimed at profiting at the taxpayers expense," added Miss Levett.

Ihenacho's children are all university-educated, her daughter is a Cambridge graduate and she received an 'Unsung Woman' award for charitable services to the Nigerian community.

"You made a series of deliberately false and dishonest claims and supported them with fraudulent documentation," Recorder Campbell-Tiech told tearful Ihenacho, who still protests her innocence.

"The proceeds were spent on two mortgages on properties you either owned or had a financial interest in."

Online Charmer Jailed For Fleecing Seventeen Women

A “sophisticated and charismatic” online fraudster – who posed as a wealthy white American businessman – conned a fortune out of a string of women who fell for his fake charms.

Seventeen victims have been identified in the USA, Canada and Trinidad & Tobago and one woman sent him £177,000 and another was bankrupted.

Hery Agunu, 25, (pic.top) of Odessa Road, Forest Gate, East London abused Facebook, dating websites and other social media to build a fake online profile.

Victims sent money to tide him over after being convinced he had won a multi-million pound Olympic contract and the funds were laundered via the bank account of Evelina Sisin, 39, (pic.bottom) of Chiltern House, Beaconsfield Road, Edmonton.

Agunu pleaded guilty to committing fraud by false representation and received six years and four months imprisonment and Sisin received eighteen months for money laundering at Isleworth Crown Court.

The scam was exposed after a bank in the US stopped a payment, which they believed to be fraudulent and alerted the authorities.

The US authorities handed the case over to Operation Podium – which targetted Olympic Games-associated crime - and Agunu was tracked down.

The defendant's 'M.O' was to portray himself as a widowed businessman in search of love and companionship and he built a number of aliases for himself, using details of real people.

He spent anything from two weeks to months to groom his victims into forming a relationship with him and even falling in love.

The next step in Agunu's scam would be to persuade the women that he was struggling financially and needed to borrow money until he got paid.

In one scam he told the victim that he had won a multi-million pound contract to deliver 'platform and transport services' for the Metropolitan Police Service during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

He went to lengths researching and writing a fake lucrative contract showing himself as the winner of the work.

The victims are aged from their mid 50s to late 70s.

Detective Superintendent Nick Downing, from Operation Podium, said: "Agunu was a sophisticated and charismatic operator who deliberately wormed his way into way into women's affections, promising love and marriage, simply to rip them off.

"He has made thousands of pounds, and left a number of women suffering more than just financial lost.

"My advice to anyone is simple, no matter what the circumstances, never give money to anyone you meet online and cannot prove for yourself they are who they say.

"Even if they use the name of a well-known organisation, such as ours, or produce professional looking documents in an attempt to add credence to their claims. Such things are all too easy to fake and it is almost certainly not genuine.”

Parking Meter Scammer Shot Dead Over £250,000 Debt

A Kosovan parking meter criminal was shot dead over a £250,000 debt by an associate now starting a life sentence.

Cima Sogojeva, 27, (pic. top) made a fortune ripping-off London Borough of Westminster meters and gave the cash to 32 year-old fellow-countryman Lundrim Gjikokaj (pic. bottom) for safe keeping.

Gjikokaj, of Western Elms Avenue, Reading, Berkshire executed Mr. Sogojeva at his Golders Green flat, shooting him three times in the back and head, also stabbing the victim.

Mr. Sogojeva lost £177,000 when police raided a security box he stashed some of his criminal fortune in and fearing more raids handed the rest of his loot to the defendant.

They met in Caroline Court, Highfield Road on October 6, 2008, but instead of returning the money Gjikokaj murdered his one-time associate and fled the scene.

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Duffield, of the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: “Lundrim Gjikokaj presented a carefully crafted alibi to the police after his arrest, cynically claiming that he had been elsewhere at the time, and that he had been a 'close friend' of the victim and claimed to be 'heartbroken' at hearing of Cima's demise.

“A detailed investigation established that Gjikokaj, a compulsive gambler, had in fact meticulously planned the fatal events, and his motivation was purely to avoid paying a significant and rapidly escalating debt.

“Faced with the prospect of having to answer difficult questions during the trial, he refused to give evidence to the jury.”

During a four-week Old Bailey trial the court heard that at 11:15am police received a 999 call by a member of the public, stating that they had heard shots fired at an address in Highfield Road.

Officers and paramedics attended and found Mr. Sogojeva collapsed with gun shot and knife wounds inside the address. He was pronounced dead at the scene.




Detectives established Gjikokaj had continually dodged Cima because of a financial debt thought to be in the region of £250,000.

Following a detailed enquiry into his movements it was established that he had met Mr. Sogojeva at the victim's home address on the morning of the murder.

A search of the crime scene and wider area identified crucial forensic evidence linking Gjokokaj to the shooting.

He will serve a minimum of twenty-eight years imprisonment before he can be considered for parole. 



'Lesbian' Asylum-Seeker Jailed For Benefits And ID Plot

A Ugandan identity and benefits fraudster - currently trying to convince the Home Office she will be persecuted for being a lesbian if deported - was jailed for sixteen months yesterday for her role in an eighteen year £4m plot.

Betty Tibakawa, 24, studied here for three years under a false identity after entering the country five-and-a-half years ago on a six month visa and her lengthy asylum battle has become a cause celebre despite the authorities firm belief she has invented her account of homophobic abuse in her homeland.

Tibakawa, of Cordell House, Newton Road, Finsbury Park pleaded guilty to conspiring with others, including ringleader Ruth Nabaguzi, 49, to defraud immigration and DSS departments and other government departments between June 12, 1993 and September 9, 2011.

She also pleaded guilty to making an application for UK naturalisation in a false name and using that identity to make a fraudulent claim for £4,503 in jobseekers allowance, plus approximately £2,000 in social fund benefits.

"The crown say miss Tibakawa assisted others in using and abusing identities," prosecutor Miss Kerry Broome told Croydon Crown Court. "Once she assumed the false identity claims were made for benefits and the like."

Tibakawa entered the UK on July 5, 2007 on condition she stay no longer then six months, but in January 2011 applied to the Home Office for asylum under her true identity, claiming she was the victim of homophobia in Uganda.

She claims she was branded on her inner thighs with a flat iron filled with red-hot coals while growing up in Uganda and her case has benefited from the support of Medical Justice and Human Rights Watch in this country.

She studied for three years under the false identity of Taty Mangangi at Waltham College, but failed to appear for her naturalisation swearing-in ceremony under this name, instead launching the asylum bid.

Tibakawa is currently residing in Home Office accommodation and is in receipt of "pocket money" from the government.

Her lawyer Mr. Patrick Maggs told the court: "She is at the lower end of offending and was more of a customer of Ruth Nabaguzi than a foot soldier.

"She arrived in this country aged eighteen and at that young age she made a series of appalling decisions.

"This is a young woman, if not searching for a better life, then trying to achieve a normal life. Just trying to get the best life she can in this country.

"The crown are taking a monolithic attitude and do not accept her asylum claim and what is hanging over her head at the moment is worse than any custodial sentence."

Judge Nicholas Ainley told a tearful Tibakawa: "There has to be an immediate custodial sentence, but I will make it as short as I can. You allowed false identities to be developed and you adapted one for yourself."

Church Scout Leader Accused Of Abusing Three Boys

A “deeply manipulative” church activist and cub scout leader plied two young brothers and another boy with treats and organised fun events in order to sexually abuse them, a jury were told today.

The boys, aged four to ten years-old, were entertained by mock-medieval swordfighting duels, swimming trips, videos and given sweets, ice-cream and cash, Croydon Crown Court heard.

James Edward Bailey, 69, (pictured) of Kettering Court, Brigstock Road, Thornton Heath has pleaded not guilty to fifteen charges dating back twenty years when the boys were aged between four and ten years-old.

The brothers, now aged twenty-eight and twenty-four, attended a church in Thornton Heath in the early 1990's where Bailey was a parishoner and trusted by their parents to look after them.

Bailey – known as Jim – later became a cub scout leader at a church in Addiscombe and is accused of abusing the third boy, now twenty, in his car after a group trip to South Norwood Leisure Centre, Portland Road.

“It seems apparent at the time that Bailey was a single man, keen on the church and cub scouts, both of which gave him access to young boys,” explained prosecutor Mr. Tony Badenoch.

“It also involves manipulation by an abuser with offers of sweets, ice-cream, money and the opportunity to watch grown-up action films.

“Bailey has an unhealthy interest in young boys and is deeply manipulative.

“They were not treats. They came with a price and that price was abuse,” Mr. Badenoch told the jury.

The brothers reported Bailey to the police three years ago after a chance encounter with him at Tesco's in Thornton Heath and the third man, who they do not know, came forward nearly two years later.

“The older brother told police that as a child he spent quite a bit of time with Jim and what was laid on the quite good fun.

“This included Jim running a medieval club, staging sword fights and assisting in school fetes and performances,” added the prosecutor.

“Their father, a missionary, very much trusted Bailey and he was a regular visitor to the family home.

“The older brother told police Jim touched him and got him to touch him back and said: 'Don't tell your parents.'

“He started taking him home and let him watch grown-up films and told police Jim had filmed him at the defendant's former home in Clifton Road.

“The younger brother told police Jim had put his hand down the front of his trousers and rubbed his penis and testicles.”

There was also a sexual incident involving the boy and Bailey's pet dog, the jury were told, and an incident when the defendant took him swimming.

Bailey is accused of performing a sex act on the third boy after a different swimming pool trip when he also offered him sweets and cash.

He denies three sample charges of indecently assaulting the older brother, plus five counts of indecency with the same child.

He has pleaded not guilty to two sample counts of indecently assaulting the younger brother plus four counts of indeceny with the child and one count of indecency with the third child.

Trial continues.............

150 MPH Death Crash Driver Jailed

A BMW driver, who crashed into another vehicle at 150mph, killing the occupant, has been jailed for seven years.

Shehzad Munir, 25, (pictured) of Boundary Road, Plaistow was driving his black 645i along the A13 in Rainham on September 9, 2010 at 1.25am when he collided with a red Nissan Primera.

The other driver, 30 year-old Sukhpreet Singh Chimber, of Arterial Road, Grays was pronounced dead at the scene.

Munir taken to an East London police station and arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Detective Sergeant Joe Lock, of the Road Death Investigation unit at Chadwell Heath, said: “This sentence reflects the way the courts view of this type of offence. 



“The defendant in this matter drove his vehicle in excess of twice the national speed limit without any consideration for other road users. 



“As a result, an innocent family man has lost his life. 



“I would hope this sends out a positive message that the Metropolitan Police Service deals robustly with matters of this nature.” 

'Lobster Pot' Cocaine Mastermind Jailed

A 'lobster pot' cocaine smuggler, who tried to import £53m worth of the drug, has been jailed for twenty-eight years.

Edward Henry Austin, 47, (pictured) from Welling, Kent had orchestrated the plot, involving five accomplices who collected the 255kg haul from the English Channel.

The cocaine – packed into eleven holdalls – was dropped into the sea by a container ship sailing from Brazil to antwerp, Belgium in May 2010.

To disguise the smuggling operation as legitimate fishing the holdalls were tied along a rope resembling submerged lobster pots.

The four-man 'fishing' crew and another accomplice were caught and given prison sentences totalling 104 years.

Austin had fled to the costa-del-crime in Spain, but was returned to the UK from Fuengirola in January.

Detective Inspector Colin Stephenson, of the Metropolitan Police Service’s Central Task Force, said: "‘We will robustly investigate organised criminal gangs involved in polluting the streets of London with cocaine.

“These criminal networks employ sophisticated methods to smuggle cocaine to the UK and flood our streets with the drug.

“This multi-agency investigation has shown that the MPS will rigoursly pursue those involved in these criminal enterprises.”

Mob Stormed Fried Chicken Takeaway

A teenage student, trashed a fast-food takeaway shop with a seven-strong gang of friends, after staff tried to detain one of the group for sneaking in the back door.

Staff were left with cuts and bruises during the violent disturbance and one victim needed a total of five stitches to eye and head wounds.

Mayooran Ravikumar, 19, of Cheveral Avenue, Coventry pleaded guilty to affray at Chicken Cottage, London Road, Croydon on May 12, last year and was sentenced to a twelve month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.

Prosecutor Miss Olivia Kong told Croydon Crown Court today: “A fight took place at the chicken shop after a male entered through the back door and was detained by workers.

“He was asked by the worker: 'What are you doing?' and said: 'I just want to wash my hands.'

“A number of males, including this defendant, entered and tried to take the male out of the shop and a fight took place.

“The police arrived and by the time they got there tables and chairs were everywhere.

“Some of the staff were bleeding and needed medical aid. It was quite a serious fight,” added Miss Kong.

“One of the victims received a laceration to his eyebrow, which recquired five stitches, and a laceration to his forehead, which needed three stitches and there were two other cuts over his eye and bruising to his ear.”

Ravikumar (pictured) was only identified after the incident by CCTV and a hat he left behind at the scene.

The court heard he lives with his parents in Coventry, but is currently studying in Brighton.

Recorder Steven Kay QC said: “It was an attempt to rescue someone who plainly tried to steal from the shop.”

Tyre Slash Stabbing: Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder

Police investigating the murder of a man in North London – fatally stabbed shortly after his car tyres were slashed – have made an arrest.

Teon Palmer, 28, (pictured) suffered a single stab wound to the chest at aproximately 11.00pm on October 20 in Montagu Road, Lower Edmonton.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 23 year-old suspect has been arrested on suspicion of murder and bailed to return to a police station in early December.

It is believed Mr. Palmer's a car had all four tyres slashed in the moments leading up to the stabbing.

Up to seven black males, described as wearing hooded tops or jackets, were seen making off from the location.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Andy Yeats of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command said: “We know there were people in the area at the time of the assault on Teon Palmer.

“I would ask anyone who was in the area of Montagu Road and Goodwin Road, or the surrounding streets, to contact my team.



“A blue Vauxhall Astra car belonging to Teon Palmer was vandalised prior to the assault on him.

“I believe those who damaged the car knew it belonged to Teon.

“Did you see anyone hanging around the vehicle or an altercation in the vicinity of the vehicle?



“If you have witnessed anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please contact my team - your information could prove vital to this investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8345 1570 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Mum Sentenced For Bar Brawl

A drunken mother-of-two, who joined a violent group-beating of a man after a row in a South-East London bar, has dodged jail with a suspended sentence.

Stacey Fay, 27, of Dawes Street, Walworth was caught on CCTV striking the victim's head, causing a cut.

She pleaded guilty to assault, causing actual bodily harm, in Blackwater Street, East Dulwich on December 11, last year.

The disturbance began inside the Liquorish bar, (pictured) Lordship Lane when someone bumped into another person, who was using crutches.

The row continued outside, where the victim was surrounded by an angry group of men and women, including Fay, and repeatedly punched in the head.

Fay's shoes were caught on CCTV images and she was identified inflicting a blow.

Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court committed her to Woolwich Crown Court for sentencing because they felt their powers of punishment, limited to six months imprisonment, were insufficient to meet the seriousness of the offence.

Her solicitor told the magistrates' court: “She was very inebriated. The police said she was visibly upset by seeing her own actions.”

The court also heard Fay is in a considerable amount of debt.

She was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for a year, and ordered to perform 100 hours community service work.

Woman Hit Panic Alarm When Harassing Ex Visited

A Bournemouth man, with alcohol and anger management issues, frightened his ex so much she activated a police panic alarm when he banged on the window of her home – breaching a restraining order.

Scaffolder Ian Walker-Smith, 45, of Westby Road also sent text messages and left abusive voicemails, despite a court order banning him from contacting the woman.

He pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to harassing Claire Bullen, of Acre Lane, Carshalton on March 17 and April 18.

The court heard today that Walker-Smith was subject to a restraining order, imposed at the court on December 12, last year.

“She was so fearful of what took place she pushed a panic button and contacted the police immediately,” Judge Daniel Flahive told the defendant.

“You breached the restraining order by making abusive phone calls and by knocking on the window and making a nuisance of yourself.”

The court was told Walker-Smith has turned his life around and successfully completed an alcohol treatment order and has settled down with a new girlfriend.

He admitted the offence put him in breach of a twenty-two week suspended prison sentence, imposed for driving while disqualified and failing to give a sample to police.

Walker-Smith was placed on an eighteen month community order, with 100 hours community service, plus forty additional hours for breaching the suspended sentence.

“If you are back here your feet won't touch the ground,” added the judge.

Fraudster Jailed For Olympic-Sized Ticket Scam

A heartless Olympic scammer – who made €450,000 selling expensive non-existent tickets from two bogus websites – has been jailed for four years.

Amongst the victims, from twenty different countries, were the parents of Olympic competitors from France and Greece.

Christakis Ioannou, 44, (pictured) of Crantock Road, Catford was arrested at Gatwick Airport with €17,500 stuffed inside his shoes as he stepped off a flight from his Portugal hideaway.

The Metropolitan Police's Operation Podium Team discovered Ioannou wired his illicit profits to Portugeuse bank accounts, where he made cash withdrawls.

He pleaded guilty at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court to participating in a fraudulent business and possessing and concealing criminal property.

Ioannou set up two fake websites nearly a year before the the opening ceremony, which were designed to look like official sites, offering for sale unlimited numbers of tickets for all Olympic events.

Over 400 people, from around the world, tried to buy tickets for the Games from www.2012-londonsummergames.com and www.2012-londonsummergames.org.

In five weeks the sites took over €450,000 in sales for non existent tickets to the Olympics.

Detectives from Podium tracked the websites back to Ioannou, who was based in Portugal, and he was arrested when returning to the UK.

Evidence was taken from victims in over twenty countries around the world including the USA; Italy; Netherlands and Denmark.

Detective Superintendent Nick Downing said: “Ioannou was the first fraudster of this type we identified and the biggest.

“This case clearly shows that online crime of this nature is not a victimless crime.

“Over four hundred people missed out on a chance to be part of the London 2012 Olympic Games and instead were simply ripped off.

“Ioannou set up simple yet genuine looking sites, and made thousands within only five weeks.

“Podium were so concerned about people falling foul of his scam we issued a number of public warnings naming the sites to try prevent additional people from getting conned.

“Once someone had bought their tickets, at vastly over inflated prices, they never heard from the website of his company again.



”These sites were picked up as part of our proactive monitoring of the internet and referrals from LOCOG to spot and then prevent fraudsters like Ioannou from cashing in on the popularity of the Games.

“Three hundred and forty websites were identified in this way. 

“Never buy your tickets from anywhere but the official event organisers, or those people authorised to sell on their behalf.”

Operation Trident Police Seize Illegal Guns

Gangbusting cops have seized six firearms and made six arrests after co-ordianted raids across South London.

Operation Trident officers – who investigate violent black-on-black crime in the capital – executed search warrants at addresses in Southwark, Croydon and Sutton.

They seized a rifle (pictured), sawn-off shotgun and four handguns (one pictured) following the intelligence-led investigation.

Two seventeen year-old male youths, an eighteen year-old male, a twenty year-old male and a thirty-three year old man were arrested along with a 19 year-old woman.

All were taken into custody at various south London police stations and the firearms have been sent for forensic testing.

Detective Chief Superintendent Dean Haydon said: “Trident officers continually target the suppliers of lethal firearms, protecting the public by removing guns from the hands of organised criminals and gangs.

“The Met has seized over two hundred and eighty firearms and a large amount of ammunition from the streets of London this year alone.

“The number of shootings taking place in London has also significantly reduced, with twenty-eight per cent fewer incidents than last year.”

'Matrix' Knifeman Sent To Mental Hospital

A knife-wielding paranoid schizophrenic, who thought police officers he tried to stab were computer clones from hit movie 'The Matrix', has been sent to a secure psychiatric hospital indefinitely.

University graduate George Asare, 25, of Elsinore Road, Forest Hill, South East London survived being shot five times by armed police and tasered twice during the late-night confrontation.

A Croydon Crown Court jury found he committed the offences, but returned a not guilty verdict by reason of insanity yesterday.

Asare (pictured) was charged with attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm on three different officers; causing criminal damage to a neighbour's VW Polo and a police car and affray in the early hours of February 19.

He believed her was under satellite surveillance from his employer and a neighbour and lunged at the officers with a twelve-inch knife when police were called to a report of vandalism.

Prosecutor Mr. Peter Clement told the court: "The charges reflect a frightening episode that was potentially very hazardous to three police officers and potentially lethal to this defendant.

"Residents were woken by a loud and repeated banging coming from the road and they saw this defendant damaging a car belonging to one of the neighbours.

"He was seen to kick the car and climbed onto the bonnet and with a brick smashed the windscreen.

"They describe him as acting clearly out of character and the events of the next thirty minutes speak volumes as an event of acute mental illness on the part of this defendant."

Police Sergeant Ian Fearn and Inspector Mick Chatterton were the first officers on the scene and saw the hooded Asare standing in the middle of the road with his hands in his pockets.

The defendant said: "No" when asked to show his hands and walked towards PS Fearn.

"As he got close he took his left hand out of his pocket in which he held a large knife and lashed out in the area of the officer's abdomen and missed by inches only because the officer arched back.

"The officer ran backwards and the defendant chased him around the car and again lashed out with the weapon and fortunately PS Fearn avoided that by arching his torso for a second time.

"The defendant turned his attention to the Inspector and with the knife at shoulder height and the blade pointing towards the officer he lunged at Inspector Chatterton.

'It was clear the Inspector was the next target and the officer ran around the vehicle. but Mr. Asare continued to chase him with that knife.

"All the officers could do to avoid being stabbed was to run."

Asare then slashed the police car's seats and bonnet, ripped out dashboard equipment and kicked the side panels.

He walked home, but emerged moments later with two large knives and walked into nearby Stanstead Road.

By now armed police had arrived and ordered Asare to: "Drop the knives."

Two officers then shot Asare with electric tasters as he walked forward with a knife in eat hand.

"Despite hitting him the tasters had no apparent effect," explained Mr. Clement.

A firearms officer, identified only as N71, was close to Asare.

"Mr. Asare lashed out with one of his knives towards the officer's head and neck area and the officer, and one of his colleagues, fired.

"Mr. Asare was hit twice, but neither live round had any obvious effect and he remained standing and was shot again.

"He dropped to his knees and stood up, still holding the knives, and was shot two more times."

As Asare received first aid he said: "Tell my dad I am sorry. I want to die, just kill me."