Violent moped gang who caused chaos in London are jailed

Members of a moped gang who carried out a string of high profile raids across London have been jailed after one of their terrifying attacks was exposed by Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden.

They were caught on CCTV targeting a woman with a young child in broad daylight in Sandpits Road in Richmond.

The footage went viral after being circulated on social media by Ms Holden, who asked the public to “call 101 or 999 if u know these scumbags”.

Judge Georgina Kent, sentencing at Kingston Crown Court, described the incident as an “exceptionally serious and shocking attempted robbery”.

Pheobe Ruele was walking hand-in-hand with her son whom she had just picked up from nursery when two motorcycles road past, pulled into the road and waited for her on June 21 last year.

The court heard that John McFadyen, 24, grabbed her arm hard enough to leave finger-mark bruises and told her: “Give me your rings. I’m going to hurt your child and take him away.”

Footage shows the “terrified” woman dragging her child into the road before builders brandishing scaffolding poles chase the gang away.

The gang aged between 18 and 36, including ringleader Terry Marsh, were sentenced for offences including conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to burgle, conspiracy to steal, criminal damage and handling stolen goods.

Taking the gang off the streets has helped cut moped-enabled crime in the capital by 52% in the space of a year, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The defendants used their mopeds to block traffic before taking an angle grinder to cameras rigged up to capture the Boat Race last year.

Although their first attempt on Putney Bridge was interrupted by an off-duty police officer, a highly-specialised BBC camera worth up to an estimated £180,000 was stolen from Lonsdale Road by Barnes Bridge.

Three gang members – Omar Tafat, 22, Josh Myers, 19, and Kian Taylor, 20 – were arrested on May 7 last year after a 90 minute high-speed police chase through London. All three had piled on to the same bike.

At one point they drove the wrong way up the A40 to try to shake off the helicopter chasing them.

The gang also carried out a ram raid on high-end outdoor clothing company Altimus Ltd in High Street, Kensington, in December 2017, using a stolen vehicle.

Within a month, they had returned to raid the same store and left the security guard with head injuries, bruises to his body and a foot injury.

The two raids cost the business £43,000 in lost goods, and a total of £80,000, including damage.

Tafat, 22, of Fulham, was jailed for a total of eight years and five months for offences including conspiracy to steal and attempted robbery.

Myers, 19, of Shepherds Bush, was sentenced to eight years in a young offenders’ institution after admitting charges including dangerous driving and conspiracy to steal.

He was found guilty of two further counts of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

Taylor, of no fixed address, was sentenced to nine years and four months at a young offenders’ institution for offences including conspiracy to steal and attempted robbery.

Steven Weller, 36, of Ealing, was jailed for six years and seven months for offences including conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to burgle.

Marsh, 32, of Fulham, was jailed for a total of 13 years and two months for offences including conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to steal.

Ryan Moran, 36, of Fulham, was given concurrent suspended sentences of two months for conspiracy to steal, 24 months for conspiracy to burgle and a month for handling stolen goods.

John McFadyen, 24, of Feltham, was jailed for 32 months for conspiracy to rob, while his brother Isaac, 19, was sentenced to 32 months in a young offenders’ institution for the same offence.

Mitchell Leaver, 18, of Battersea, was given a 12 month suspended sentence after admitting conspiracy to burgle.

Scott Leaver, 25, of Lambeth, was sentenced to 56 months’ imprisonment after being found guilty of the same charge.

Aaron Pask, 27, of White City, was sentenced to six years and eight months for offences including conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to burgle.

Ram Monk 23, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years and eight months after being found guilty of conspiracy to burgle.