Caught on camera: Gang (with a Nigerian) who mobbed more than 40 Carphone Warehouse stores to snatch handsets and iPads in front of horrified shoppers during £500,000 crime spree

         
Members of a gang who abused shoppers, threatened staff and chased children before ripping phones and iPads off walls in 40 stores across London have been jailed for a total of 11 years.

CCTV footage from one attack on their £500,000 crime spree shows one mother sprinting to protect her terrified son as the eight men swamped and then burgled a Carphone Warehouse.


On each occasion the criminals caused 'total mayhem' when they stormed high street shops to wrench high-value items from the walls in a series of violent 'steaming' raids.

In scenes reminiscent of the recent London Riots, phones and tablet computers worth a total of £143,000 were ripped out by the thieves, while the attacks caused more than £50,000 worth of damage.

The criminals, some of whom were just 14, used the 'steaming' technique, where they rob shops or mug individuals by swamping them and threatening them with violence.



The clean-up operation after the raids, which forced some stores to close temporarily, resulted in Carphone Warehouse losing a total of more than £500,000, the court heard.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Testar said: 'This conspiracy to burgle consists of a series of offences in which a number of young men rushed into branches of Carphone Warehouse and simply grabbed whatever they were able to and ran away. 

'In some cases, efforts were made to disguise appearances, but in many cases the attitude of those who committed these offences was brazen.

                            

 Ugo Wilson, Jahreau Shepherd

                           

 Emmanuel Kakala, and Perry Hedges

'Those who have joined the conspiracy have applied themselves to a criminal operation of which the overall effect was very great.

'The targeting of particular premises and the mob handed means of offending indicates greater harm. 

'The success (of the conspiracy) depended on force of numbers and shock.
'Many staff and customers were very frightened. 

'In one incident, a small child found himself, much to his terror and that of his parents, being surrounded by the marauding group.

'Most of the events saw participation by more than those who have admitted responsibility for them.'

Judge Testar also praised the 'good old fashioned police work' involved in bringing the gang to justice. 

The 'steaming' spree took place between July 1, 2012 and January 11 this year, prosecutor Edward Lucas told the court. 

'The defendants had a total disregard for the presence of customers, old or young, when they were embarking on their criminal enterprise.
'They were always mob handed and caused total chaos. Children were pushed out of the way and forced to run away. 

'These young men, of various ages, with the youngest being just 14 at the time of the ending, targeted Carphone Warehouses through the London and Greater London area.
'In groups of three or more, they went into the premises, mostly during the afternoon, and literally ripped telephones from their displays. 

'The shops were operating as normal and the staff were on duty at the time serving customers, and of course they were terrified by what occurred. 

'Children can be seen running for cover to their parents.'

Shocked shoppers who happened to get in the way of the enterprise were simply told to stand aside or else.
'There was a menace, don't mess with us, if you get in the way there is going to be trouble,' said Mr Lucas.

'The staff say they were extremely shocked and frightened by what occurred. They were not only frightened for themselves but also for their customers.
'The psychological effect cannot be minimised and the reality is that the consequences (for shop staff and' customers) have been profound.

More thugs who took part in the raids remain at large and none of the goods have been recovered.

'The fact of the matter is the crimes themselves seem to have occurred within the context of the individuals really not caring who is in the shop at the time. 

'They went in to steal and caused total mayhem,' added Mr Lucas.
Jahreau Shepherd, 22, who was on licence for robbery at the time of the attacks, was jailed for four years, while Ugo Wilson, 21, was given a 27-month prison term.

Ryan Hopkins, 18, was handed a 12-month detention and training order, while Perry Hedges, also 18, was locked up for 26 months in a young offenders' institute. 

Emanuel Kakala, 18, was handed a suspended 18-month prison sentence and was also ordered to complete 80 hours unpaid work. 

Samuel Warnes, 20, was also spared jail with an 18 month prison sentence suspended for 24 months. He was also ordered to complete 150 hours unpaid work.
All six admitted their part in the plot, together with two juveniles, aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named.
 
They were each handed 10-month and 18-month detention and training orders respectively.
Shepherd, of Kennington, southeast London; Kakala, of South Norwood; Hedges, of Surbiton, Surrey; Ryan Hopkins, of Ickenham, Middlesex; Wilson, of Hendon, northwest London; and Warnes, of Morden, Surrey, all admitted a single count of conspiracy to burgle.

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