Five masked gang members who held a gun to the head of a young woman as they burgled her home have been jailed for a total of more than 40 years.

Ashton Wright, 21, Andre Thomas-Richards, 18, Hadji Sesay, 18, Tyrone Banton, 17, and Christopher Broomes, 16, smashed their way through the front door of a house in Wolseley Road, Hackbridge, on May 6 this year in a pre-planned raid.

They shouted they were police before pinning their 21-year-old to her bed with the imitation firearm pressed against her temple, demanding money before stealing a mobile phone, driving licence, cash and a 42inch flat screen TV.

The woman was beaten with a wooden pole by one of the gang before they made their escape.

Croydon Crown Court heard the gang, that included Thomas-Richards, a former gifted Whitgift School scholar who was tipped to represent Great Britain at athletics, believed they had wrongly targeted the house believing a large amount of cash and drugs were stored there.

Instead they found the terrified young woman, the court was told.

Police and the judge said they had never seen a victim so traumatised.

A victim impact statement read to the court said she was a normal outgoing young person who loved going out with friends and enjoying herself, but now could not be left alone, sleep or go out alone.

The 21-year-old woman had earlier told the court during the trial: "I was trying not to look at them in case they pulled the trigger and I was gone."

The hooded men, all members of the Don't Say Nothing (DSN) gang, had earlier tried to force their way into a house in Thornton Road, Carshalton, at 12.30am.

The owner of the house had fought them off at the door, injuring himself in the process.

The gang was caught after an off-duty police officer spotted them leaving the Wolesley Road house.

Their van was found abandoned shortly after in Senga Road containing the victim’s TV, the imitation handgun, a crowbar and club hammer.

They were charged with the offences after traces of glass from the smashed front door in Wolseley Road were found on four of the members' clothes, while DNA found on a half-smoked cigarette found at the front door of the address in Thornton Road contained DNA traces from two of them.

The victim's stolen driving licence was also found on one of the defendants.

At Croydon Crown Court, on November 8, Wright, of Otterbourne Road, Croydon, and Broomes, of Mickleham Way, New Addington,were found guilty of aggravated burglary, possession of an imitation firearm, and attempted burglary following a trial.

Thomas-Richards, of Northborough Road, Norbury, Banton of Morland Road, Croydon, and Sesay, of Peabody Hill, Tulse Hill, pleaded guilty to the offences.

Wright was jailed for 11 years, Sesay for seven years six months, Thomas-Richards, and Banton for seven years and nine months, and Broomes for seven years, for the aggravated burglary.

They were handed lesser concurrent sentences for the other offences.

Friends and family of some of the defendants wept as the sentences were read out.

Judge Heather Baucher commended the police officer investigation, Detective Constable Mark Cooper, of Sutton’s Burglary Robbery Investigation Team and all the officers involved in the arrests of the five defendants.


Andre Thomas Richards
Your Local Guardian: Andre Thomas Richards

Ashton Wright
Your Local Guardian: Ashton Wright

Christopher Broomes
Your Local Guardian: Christopher Broomes

Hadji Sesay
Your Local Guardian: Hadji Sesay

Tyrone Banton
Your Local Guardian: Tyrone Banton