Saturday 11 February 2012

Toture Gang Convicted Of Robbing Ex-Queen Mum Aide


Three members of a brutal car-jacking gang - who kidnapped and robbed a former royal aide to the Queen Mother - will be sentenced next month.


The victim was beaten by the gang, who tied him up and forced him to strip naked in a lock-up, while demanding his bank PIN numbers.


Ex-Army Captain Niall Hall, 50, (pic.top) of Great Munden, Hertfordshire suffered a fractured left eye socket, plus damage to the eye, bleeding to the brain, a broken tooth, swelling and abrasions to his face and cuts to his knees.


He was attacked by three men armed with a machete on February 1 after parking his Land Rover Freelander in Bridge Lane, Battersea at 11.20pm and driven to the lock-up with his coat over his head.


This week at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court two of the gang were found guilty by a jury of kidnap and robbery and will be sentenced on March 16.


They are: Derwen Ellis, 30, (pic.2nd top) of Westbridge Road, Battersea and Martin Dias, 29, (pic.3rd top) of nearby Parkham Street.


They will be joined by 21 year-old Arron Miller, (pic.bottom) of Eccles Road, Battersea, who pleaded guilty to the same two counts before the trial.


Brian Gilbert, 19, of Cranmer House, Surrey Lane, Battersea was cleared on both counts and Dias's ex-girlfriend Kizzy Miller, 33, of Surrey Lane, Battersea was cleared of encouraging or assisting the offences of kidnap and robbery.


"As he was collecting items from the rear seat he realised he was surrounded by three men," prosecutor Mr. Bill McGivern told the jury.


"Believing he was about to be attacked he started to run off, but was quickly caught, overpowered and brought to the ground. One of them men came up close to his face and threatened him with a mini-machete if he did not co-operate.


"The male then demanded his expensive watch, which he handed over. He was also forced to give up his wallet.


"Mr. Hall was bundled into his car, his head covered with his coat, and the car driven off. As it was travelling he was threatened with a knife, which was held against his upper chest and groin."


The victim was tied and forced onto the lock-up's concrete floor behind a steel door until he gave the gang his bank PIN numbers at knife-point and cash was withdrawn at a Tesco's ATM in Battersea Park Road from two accounts within minutes.


He was stripped naked and forced into a change of clothes and dumped in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea with a wet towel over his head.


His vehicle was found on May 25 in Francis Barber Close, Streatham and police later identified the lock-up as an electrical shed splattered with Mr. Hall's blood and with items of his clothing still inside.

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