Seaford man jailed following '˜terrifying' robbery where three families thought they would die

Fourteen men have been jailed for more than 200 years after terrifed families with young children were threatened with shotguns and crowbars in a violent robbery.
Pictured from left to right. Top row: Jheryl Long, John Smillie, Junior Tamakloe. Bottom row: Lee George Baker (of Eastbourne), Nana Danquah, Nyake AlieuPictured from left to right. Top row: Jheryl Long, John Smillie, Junior Tamakloe. Bottom row: Lee George Baker (of Eastbourne), Nana Danquah, Nyake Alieu
Pictured from left to right. Top row: Jheryl Long, John Smillie, Junior Tamakloe. Bottom row: Lee George Baker (of Eastbourne), Nana Danquah, Nyake Alieu

A Seaford man and two more from Eastbourne were jailed for their part in a 2016 robbery, it can now be revealed.

In a series of linked court trials, they were convicted of conspiracy to rob together with 11 other men from across the South East, police have confirmed.

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Detective Inspector James Derham said: “These men subjected three families to extreme levels of violence which left them in fear that they would be killed.”

Myers and Jenks purchasing cable tiesMyers and Jenks purchasing cable ties
Myers and Jenks purchasing cable ties

Lee George Baker, 29 of Hoad Road, Eastbourne, and Brady Dewson, 26, of Latimer Road, were both jailed for 12 years for conspiracy to commit robbery.

Nyake Alieu, 31, of Church Street in Seaford was jailed for 16 years for conspiracy to commit robbery.

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The robbery, which took place in Lenham in Kent in April 2016, saw victims threatened with firearms and baseball bats while young children were also present.

Pictured from left to right. Top row: Aaron Mayers, Ahmed Ali, Brady Dewson, Conner Miller. Bottom row: Darren Myers, Faisal Issah, Glenn Kenny, Jake JenksPictured from left to right. Top row: Aaron Mayers, Ahmed Ali, Brady Dewson, Conner Miller. Bottom row: Darren Myers, Faisal Issah, Glenn Kenny, Jake Jenks
Pictured from left to right. Top row: Aaron Mayers, Ahmed Ali, Brady Dewson, Conner Miller. Bottom row: Darren Myers, Faisal Issah, Glenn Kenny, Jake Jenks

A total of 17 men were charged for their roles in the robbery, with 10 found guilty and a further four admitting their roles in the offence, a spokesman for Kent Police said.

Today the final offender, Junior Tamakloe, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery.

A series of trials and sentencing hearings have taken place since the offence took place but, for legal reasons, the case could not be reported until the conclusion of proceedings against Tamakloe.

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Maidstone Crown Court heard that a group of masked men entered three properties in Forstal Road at about 11.30pm on April 26.

Long, Smillie and Ali purchasing equipment from a hardware store.Long, Smillie and Ali purchasing equipment from a hardware store.
Long, Smillie and Ali purchasing equipment from a hardware store.

They were all dressed in black and wore balaclavas, dust masks and bandanas to conceal their faces, police said.

The occupants of each property were threatened with shotguns, handguns, crowbars and baseball bats during a prolonged attack.

Young children witnessed the horrific ordeal and four victims then had their wrists bound together with cable ties.

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A fifth victim sustained a fractured skull and was also stabbed in the right arm and leg whilst trying to prevent the offenders gaining entry to his property where his wife and young children were hiding.

The assaults ended once the offenders had located a quantity of cash and a designer handbag.

The offenders then fled in different directions, leaving their victims tied up, police said.

At 11.42pm on the same night Kent Police received a 999 call reporting a robbery had taken place.

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Officers were sent to the scene and a search of the area was conducted.

Aaron Mayers and Nana Danquah were quickly located in a vehicle in nearby Leeds village and were arrested, and later charged, for their role in the incident.

Another offender, Darren Myers, dialled 999 to falsely report that he had been kidnapped and was locked in the boot of a car.

Officers were unable to locate him, however, it soon emerged he had been part of the robbery and had made the kidnap allegation to cover up his offending, police said.

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Two days later he handed himself in and was subsequently charged for his role in the incident.

Officers went on to conduct a complex and in depth investigation to locate the outstanding offenders, including analysis of forensic evidence, CCTV and mobile phone data which led to the arrests of the remaining offenders.

Detective Inspector James Derham, a senior investigating officer for this case, said: “These men subjected three families to extreme levels of violence which left them in fear that they would be killed.

“The ordeals the victims were subjected to were terrifying and it has taken a huge amount of courage to speak out against these men.

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“The level of violence used shows the offenders to be a very real threat to society and it is fit and proper that they now face a substantial amount of time in custody.

“I would like to thank the victims for the support they have given to this investigation. It has helped put together a strong and compelling case which has secured these entirely appropriate sentences.

“This case shows the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate will relentlessly pursue organised crime groups operating in this county and bring those responsible before the courts.”

A total of 17 men were charged for their roles in the robbery, with 10 found guilty and a further four admitting their roles in the offence. Two were found not guilty and the trial of a further suspect resulted in a hung jury.

According to Kent Police, the full convictions are:

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Darren Myers, 33, of Valley Road, Tunbridge Wells was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of a disguised firearm. He was sentenced to 23 years imprisonment. This was reduced to 21 years following an appeal.

Aaron Mayers, 33, of Wick Road, South Hackney, was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery and received a 20 year sentence. This was reduced to 16 years following an appeal.

Nana Danquah, 33, of The Shrublands, Potters Bar, was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery and received a 20 year sentence. This was reduced to 18 years following an appeal.

Lee George Baker, 29, of Hoad Road, Eastbourne, was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery and received a 20 year sentence. This was reduced to 12 years following an appeal.

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Nyake Alieu, 31, of Church Street, Seaford, was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery and received a 20 year sentence. This was reduced to 16 years following an appeal.

Jake Jenks, 25, of Allan Close, Tunbridge Wells was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery and received a 16 and a half year sentence. This was reduced to 14 years following an appeal.

Conner Miller, 22, of no fixed address was convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery and received a 16 year sentence. This was reduced to 13 years following an appeal.

Ahmed Ali, 23 of no fixed address pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and received a 13 year sentence.

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Brady Dewson, 26, of Latimer Road, Eastbourne pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and received a 12 year sentence.

John Smillie, 26, of Billet Road in Walthamstow, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment. This was reduced to 14 years following an appeal. He was found not guilty of having a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence.

Faisal Issah, 24, of High Road in Tottenham, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment. This was reduced to 14 years following an appeal. He was found not guilty of having a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence.

Jheryl Long, 24, of High Road in Tottenham, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and sentenced to 17 years imprisonment. He was found not guilty of having a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence.

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Glenn Kenny, 26, of Poppy Way in Lieston, Suffolk, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery. He was sentenced to 10 years and eight months imprisonment. This was reduced to nine years and four months following an appeal.

Irasto Yoxall, 30, of Turin Street in Bethnal Green, was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and possessing a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence. He pleaded not guilty to both offences and was acquitted.

Kieon Barker, 24, of Clonbrock Road, Stoke Newington pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and a trial resulted in a hung jury. There will be no further court proceedings.

Vincent Stickings, 31 of Winchat Road, Thamesmead was found not guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery.

Tamakloe, 34 and of no fixed address, was the final defendant for this offence. He was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years imprisonment on November 12, 2018.