Armed gang jailed following brutal robbery in Longridge
A gang of armed men, who robbed a young family in Longridge back have been jailed for nearly 100 years.
A gang of armed men, who robbed a young family in Longridge back have been jailed for nearly 100 years.
Back in February 2014, a gang of men wearing skull masks burst into a family, while the victim was doing some reading practice with her eight year old son at the kitchen table. Her other 10 year old son was having a shower upstairs, and husband was out at work.
The men, who were armed with a sledgehammer and knives, threatened the family holding a knife to the mum's throat before punching her in the head and assaulting the two children. They demanded access to a safe that they already knew contained legally held shotguns and ammunition.
They used a dressing gown cord to tie up the woman and her sons before barricading them into the bathroom by placing a wardrobe in front of the door.
The men made off with 14 shotguns and multiple rounds of ammunition as well as cash, personal items and jewellery.
Scott Peters, 26, of Harbour Lane, Warton; Jake Smith, 26, of no fixed address; Tom Yeung, 22, of Navigation Wharf, Liverpool and Michael White, 26, of Sybil Road Liverpool were all jailed on Friday, October 28 for the Longridge robbery after a five day sentencing hearing.
Peters had pleaded not guilty to the robbery but was convicted after a 14 week trial which began in April 2016. The others had pleaded guilty before trial.
Enquiries by the investigation team led officers to Scott Peters, who was an associate of the victim’s husband and knew where he lived, that he was a gun enthusiast, had access to a number of legally held firearms and crucially that he would not be at home at the time they planned the attack.
Peters used his connections in Merseyside and arranged for Michael White, Tom Yeung, Jake Smith and another man to carry out the attack. The group had met the previous night in Preston in what was thought to be a planning meeting.
The officer that led the investigation, Detective Inspector Paddy O’Neill from Lancashire Police’s Force Major Investigation Team said: “This was a well-planned, ruthless and targeted attack. Peters knew that at 4.30pm the mother would have done the school run and been back home, but her husband wouldn’t have been. They were sitting in the kitchen doing school work when four masked men walked in through the back door - the ordeal the family were subsequently put through was nothing short of horrendous. The parents have shown great fortitude over the last two years in supporting the investigation and giving difficult yet critical witness testimonies in court. For that I am grateful.
“This has been a complex, demanding and protracted investigation involving a number of other forces and partner agencies. Lancashire Police is committed to making our communities safer, targeting gangs and securing justice for victims of crime. These convictions and the lengthy prison sentences mean that we have achieved that. I sincerely hope that this brings some closure for the family who have suffered much during and since this appalling attack.”
Scott Peters was sentenced to 13 and a half years imprisonment for the robbery while Michael White was given a 15 year extended sentence.
Tom Yeung and Jake Smith were sentenced for the robbery and also for their part in a false imprisonment and blackmail offence in Hull in October 2014. Yeung was given a total of 19 years for both offences and Smith, who was found with £36,000 worth of controlled drugs on his arrest, was given a life sentence with a 30 year tariff.
Dean McGrath, 27, of Penrose Street, Liverpool, who was on trial for the Longridge robbery but was acquitted, was sentenced to a 17 and a half year extended term for his part in the Hull offence, with Lee Seymour, 30, of Brightmore Drive, Sheffield receiving a two year imprisonment suspended for two years for his involvement in the Hull offence.
Preston man Zainul James, 26, now of HMP Strangeways was acquitted of being involved in the Longridge robbery following the trial at Preston Crown Court.
Prosecuting Barrister Jane Greenhalgh said: “These orders place various restrictions on the defendants, such as limiting their use of communication devices and prohibiting them from associating with each other. They will be in place for five years starting from when they are released from prison. Such is nature of these defendants, the Prosecution team felt further control measures were necessary on release to protect the public.”