Gang from London jailed for 33 years after storming Portsmouth drug dealer's address amid 'faulty intelligence' over £40,000 cash

Aaron Murray, 26, Levar Greaves, 29, and Adebowale Mafo, 37, broke into a flat in Bedhampton House, Crasswell Street, around 3am after having ‘faulty intelligence’ the address – used by a Portsmouth drug dealer now jailed for county lines dealing – had £40,000 cash in it. Malakye Tomlin, 25, was part of the group but opted to wait outside in a van – sparing him an 11-year jail term.

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Portsmouth Crown Court heard the defendants were part of a gang of up to seven people from London involved in the plot. ‘(The gang) had faulty intelligence there was a large amount of cash in the property. They were armed with knives and coshes and cable ties to use as restraint and balaclavas and masks so everyone was unidentifiable. (The group) then kicked in the front door,’ judge William Ashworth said.

The gang tied up those inside and made demands for money whilst threatening them with knives before punching and kicking one man in the head and ‘slicing’ another male’s jawline with a ‘deep cut from his chin to ear’.

Prosecutor Rob Harding added: ‘The victims were met by a large number of intruders wearing balaclavas and masks who said: “We want money. Where’s the money? Where’s the jewellery? Where’s the watches.”’

Mr Harding added: ‘The male victim suffered a laceration to his face which left a permanent scar.’

The gang made off with just trainers, a coat, watches, mobile phones and other items of an unknown value.

After the gang left, officers spotted a van from Essex in a road nearby which had the defendants inside with the stolen items.

One of the victims, in a statement read out to court, said he was left ‘scared’ by the ‘traumatic’ incident. ‘It’s something I will never forget. They tied me up. I never thought it would happen to me.’

A female victim, who was at the flat with her partner, was tied up in her underwear. She said: ‘I feel like anyone can do anything to me. I felt like it was a life or death situation. I was in my underwear and was tied up. I thought they may take me away. I thought I may die.’

The man who was slashed said: ‘It has left me mentally changed and in some ways that is worse than the scar.’

The men were convicted of aggravated burglary apart from Tomlin who waited outside in a van. He was convicted of burglary.

Greaves, of no fixed address and of previous good character, was the ‘leader of the operation’. He was jailed for 11 years.

Mafo, of no fixed address, was also jailed for 11 years but handed an extended licence period of four years.

Murray, of Sunlight Mews, Southend, was jailed 11 years.

Tomlin, of no fixed address, was handed a 24-month community order with 30 rehabilitation days and 100 hours of unpaid work. Judge Ashworth told him: ‘The difference between a community order and 11 years (jail) was your decision to not go upstairs.’

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