FIVE men who carried out a string of violent, high-profile robberies across Bromley have been jailed.

The men are responsible for six robberies at homes in the Farnborough, Chislehurst and Keston areas between July and December 2005 during which residents were also assaulted and threatened.

Former Charlton FC star Mark Fish was one of the victims who suffered at the hands of the gang.

Vincent Bellamy, aged 30, of Old Ford Road, Bow; Daniel London, aged 43, of Falconwood Avenue, Welling; Robert Talbot, aged 29, of Starts Hill, Farnborough, and Adam Talbot, aged 19, of Woodlands Road, Chislehurst, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob at the various addresses on January 31.

Adam and Robert Talbot also pleaded guilty to additional charges of conspiracy to commit burglary at various other commercial and domestic properties in the area during the same period.

A fifth man, Denny Cummings, aged 29, of Vartry Road, South Tottenham, was found guilty of the same charge on January 31 after a trial which began on January 8.

All the unemployed men were sentenced today at Kingston Crown Court.

  • Cummings was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, to serve a minimum of seven years and six months less the time he has already served.
  • Bellamy was jailed for eight years and will serve a minimum of four years.
  • London was sentenced to six years behind bars, to serve a minimum of three years.
  • Robert Talbot was jailed for ten years and six months and will serve a minimum of five years and three months.
  • Adam Talbot was sentenced to seven years behind bars, to serve a minimum of three years and six months.

On release, all five men will be on license for life or a minimum of 10 years.

Items worth more than £1m, including jewellery, plasma TV screens and cars, were taken in the robberies.

Vehicle tracker systems were removed and the cars driven away and stored before the alarm could be raised.

One car, a Range Rover, was found in the process of being exported and another was discovered in Tokyo.

The court heard the gang's tactics were to enter the houses at around midnight by removing a pane of glass from a window or back door.

Victims were often awoken suddenly, tied up and gagged.

Some were threatened with physical harm and one woman with sexual assault.

Threats were also made to cut off fingers and ears of other victims if they would not co-operate and tell them where valuables were kept.

Victims described the gang members as a combination of six black and white men, who always wore dark clothes, balaclavas and gloves.

They used walkie-talkie radios and appeared to have background information about the residents and their properties.

Bellamy was arrested on August 24, 2005, after his DNA was found at the scene of the July incident. He was bailed to return to Bromley police station on October 3, where he was charged.

London was arrested just after the burglary in Forest Ridge on December 22. He was spotted by police driving a stolen Ferrari away from the scene. Following a brief chase, London left the vehicle and fled on foot. He was later found by officers lying face down in a field.

A Peugeot stolen from the same address was later found in Sevenoaks, Kent.

In late December 2005, officers searched the homes of Robert and his brother Adam Talbot at a business premises in Verdant Lane, Catford.

Neither man was home at the time, but both later gave themselves up to police in Sutton.

Cummings was arrested on April 6, 2006 as a result of a phone search.

The case was investigated by the Met's Territorial Policing Crime Squad (TPCS).

Detective Inspector Gary Kelly of the TPCS, led the investigation.

He said: "This was a very well organised criminal network.

"Bringing them to justice demonstrates the MPS commitment to dismantling criminal networks and helping to build safer neighbourhoods.

"The people who were victims of this gang will never forget the night it happened.

"I hope the fact that they have been able to see justice done will bring comfort and go some way to helping the victims come to terms with the terrible ordeal they have been thorough.

"There are other outstanding suspects but at this stage we have no further leads to follow and the investigation is closed.

"There have been no further similar offences since the arrest of the suspects in this area of south east London.

"I would like to express my thanks to my team, who have worked tirelessly on this year long investigation with a thoroughness that has resulted in a successful prosecution."

Addresses of the homes hit during the gang's 2005 crimewave:

  • July 13, Forest Ridge, Keston
  • August 27, Park Avenue, Farnborough
  • August 28, Holbrook Lane, Chislehurst
  • November 12, Lubbock Road, Chislehurst
  • December 2, Foxholme Close, Chislehurst
  • December 22, Forest Ridge, Keston

Gang member wrote a book about his criminal activities

During the trial, it emerged Robert Talbot had kept a handwritten book detailing his criminal activities.

The book, titled Larging It, was found at Talbot's address during a police raid.

In it, he described how he "couldn't stand" bag-snatchers and those who targetted the poor and vulnerable, and that he had "always been taught to target the very wealthy and multi-millionaires" who could replace what was stolen.