Last six members of gang sentenced after Tunbridge Wells robbery
25 year old Xhovan Pepaj was murdered in December 2021
The last six members of a criminal gang have been sentenced for their roles in a Tunbridge Wells robbery which led to a man being brutally murdered.
A total of 13 men have now been jailed following a plot to steal cannabis plants from a house in Caley Road, where Xhovan Pepaj was fatally stabbed.
Kent Police was called to a disturbance at the address during the early hours of 4 December 2021. Attending patrols found cannabis plants discarded along the road and leading up to the house.
A locked metal gate, from floor to ceiling, initially prevented officers from accessing the upstairs of the building where Mr Pepaj had been left suffering multiple stab wounds. Access was secured by fire crews and the 25-year-old victim was declared deceased at the scene. A bloodstained knife was found nearby but any suspects had fled.
An investigation by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate led to arrests of all 13 suspects and charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The remaining six defendants were all sentenced on Monday 30 October at Hove Crown Court.
Ray Renda, 23, of Albany Road, Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, Essex had previously pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court to counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was jailed for six years.
The remaining five were all found guilty of conspiracy to rob (Their trial had been in July at the Law Courts in Brighton).
• Jonathan Hedges, 26, of Walton Road, Romford, Greater London was sentenced to two years and six months.
• Nathan Turner, 30, of Myrtle Road, Warley, Brentwood, Essex was sentenced to six years. (He was also convicted of possessing cannabis with intent to supply).
• Zach Cutting, 25, of Roundhills, Waltham Abbey, Essex received three years.
• Glen Hough, 52, of Larchwood Gardens, Pilgrims Hatch, Essex was jailed for four years and six months.
• Fabian Szymula, 21, of Callan Grove, South Ockendon, Essex. Szymula was sentenced to two years and six months. He has also been found guilty of perverting the course of justice, in relation to a note passed to a defendant in the first trial.
Detective Superintendent Gavin Moss said: ‘This has been a lengthy and complex investigation but one which has ensured that every single offender involved in this incident has now been successfully prosecuted and convicted. The substantial prison sentences reflect the senseless loss of life and needless violence associated with the supply of drugs and I only hope that Mr Pepaj’s family can now take some comfort that justice has been served.’