Dozens of motorbikes lined Pennington Tce, North Adelaide, as more than 100 people gathered for the 1.30pm service for James Sean "Pappa" Petterson. Members of rival motorcycle clubs, including the Finks, also attended the service. A convoy of Rebels members on motorcycles were given a police escort to the service and flanked the hearse as it left the cathedral. Uniformed and plainclothes police kept a watchful eye over proceedings from outside
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Thursday, 27 October 2011
A LARGE crowd of Rebels Motorcycle Club members turned out at St Peter's Cathedral yesterday for the funeral of a member.
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Real IRA terrorist has been jailed for 12 years after being found guilty of buying weapons and explosives which he wanted to use to “kill Brits.
A Real IRA terrorist has been jailed for 12 years after being found guilty of buying weapons and explosives which he wanted to use to “kill Brits.” Irishman Michael Campbell - brother of Omagh bomber Liam - was snared in a six year MI5 sting across three countries with agents pretending to be arms dealers. Yesterday he was finally jailed by a Lithuania court after spending three years awaiting trial and having been snared by an amazing MI5 undercover operation. Campbell, 39, was secretly filmed in a field in Lithuania pointing a high-power Barret sniper rifle which he later bragged he would use to kill British people. Michael Campbell testing weapons in the Lithuanian countryside (Pic: PA) Using secret filming Campbell was caught on camera inspecting the weapons stash in a lock-up garage (Pic: PA) Campbell's shopping list for weapons (Pic:PA) He was also recorded on video in a garage buying weapons and explosives from an undercover Lithiuanian agent he nicknamed “Rambo.” But the hero of the MI5 plot was a cigarette smuggler - turned MI5 agent who went deep undercover using the cover name Robert Jardine. Using his connections Robert Jardine coolly penetrated deep into the Real IRA network knowing he could have been killed if his cover was blown. At one stage in his dealings with dark-haired Campbell and other terror suspects - who cannot be named for legal reasons - he was bundled into a padded van containing a shovel. Sources have told The Daily Mirror he feared he had been rumbled and was being driven to his death - but it was just a Real IRA tactic to unnerve him. Judge Arunas Kisielus of the Vilnius Regional Court sentenced Michael Campbell to 12 years in prison for weapons offenses and supporting a terrorist group. Covert footage showed Campbell paid £5,200 for explosives, grenade launchers, detonators, AK-47s and an assassin’s rifle to Lithuanian agents posing as arms dealers. He says on tape: “You imagine, with a six-hour timer, we could be over to London and back,” Campbell says in an audio clip after mulling over a price list for explosives and detonators. “Just tick, tick, tick, tick ... gone. In court Campbell had pleaded not guilty. The Real IRA’s worst crime to date was the 1998 Omagh bombing which killed 29 and for which Liam Campbell -Michael’s brother - was found liable in a civil trial. MI5’s Operation Uncritical ruined a bid by the Real IRA to get guns and explosives to mount a deadly terror campaign on the British mainland. Yesterday a senior security official said: “The conviction of Michael Campbell is the result of a successful joint operation between the Security Service and the Lithuanian authorities. “Working closely together, along with a selfless and brave agent, they have put behind bars a senior member of the Real IRA whose intention was to kill innocent members of the public in Northern Ireland and in Britain.” Courageously Jardine - who now lives in a secret location - for years risked his life to provide his MI5 handlers with intelligence about the Real IRA. The agent, who was referred to in court as “Robert Jardine”, was a legitimate businessman based in southern England dealing in “imports and exports.” But he also had an illicit sideline in smuggling cigarettes from Eastern Europe - and it was that which caught the eye of the security service and led him into a world of terrorist intrigue. The Real IRA (RIRA) was using the contraband cigarettes to fund its terrorist activities and in late 2002 Jardine was recruited as an agent by MI5. Two years later RIRA asked Jardine whether his contacts in Eastern Europe could help them get weapons. And - carefully directed by MI5 - he laid a trail of deception which drew in the terrorists. The court heard that in January 2005 he handed over a price list to a contact. The following July Jardine and the contact crossed the border into Lithuania where Jardine introduced her to “Tomas”. In fact Tomas was working for the Lithuanian security service, the VSD - the first in a cast of “role-players” deployed to convince the RIRA that the offer of weapons was real. The RIRA gave Jardine the first of two hand-written shopping lists of weapons they wanted to buy - including sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, hand grenades, detonators and Semtex plastic explosives. Then, in late 2006, another RIRA man, moved to revive the arrangement. Jardine responded by saying he would provide the introductions but the republicans would have to cut their own deal. The “sting” was back on. Then Michael Campbell entered the story. On August 29 2007, Michael Campbell and another associate travelled to a lodge in the Lithuanian countryside belonging to the supposed arms dealer. There they were given their first chance to test guns and explosives. Next day they were introduced to a second dealer - whom the two Irishmen quickly nicknamed “Rambo” - who was to provide them with the actual weapons they wanted. Like Tomas, however, Rambo was in reality working for the VSD. Campbell and his colleague agreed to pay a deposit on explosives, detonators and timers. Afterwards an excited Campbell was secretly recorded telling his associate: “Look at it this way, for one of them and one of them you have a bomb - for f****** a hundred quid. “F*** me. You imagine us getting over to England if you’d ten of them and ten clocks in a holdall. You imagine, with a six-hour timer we could be over to London and back. “Just tick, tick, tick - gone. Leave it anywhere.” That October, Campbell met Rambo again in Marbella in southern Spain. This time the RIRA man said he wanted a first instalment of weapons - including two rocket propelled grenades as well as the explosives - against the deposit. On January 21 2008, Campbell went to Lithuania to inspect his purchase and finalise the arrangements. That evening the couple dined with Rambo who the following day took Campbell to a lock-up garage where the weapons were stashed. A hidden camera secretly filmed as Campbell examines one of the detonators and asks whether they would be “good for booby traps”. “They would be good for under a car, wouldn’t they?” he says. “Anchored to the wheel and then the car goes round - bang.” Campbell was also filmed paying a further deposit for a powerful Barrett sniper rifle - the type of weapon used to kill Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick, the last British soldier to die at the hands of the IRA in 1997. When Rambo demands what it would be used for - saying he was not prepared to sell it just “to shoot roe deer or wild boar” - Campbell tells him: “No, no, we will be shooting from across borders. The border. You know, from one side to the other.” Asked who the target would be, Campbell replies simply “Brits”.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Celebrities and millionaires living on one of Britain’s most exclusive estates have become the targets of a crime wave.
Celebrities and millionaires living on one of Britain’s most exclusive estates have become the targets of a crime wave. A diplomat’s wife and son became the latest victims after they were tied up and held at gunpoint during a £100,000 robbery. St George’s Hill in Surrey has been dubbed the British ‘Beverly Hills’ and is home to Russian oil tycoons, hedge fund managers and City financiers. Exclusive: The St George's Hill estate in Surrey has been hit by a crime wave in recent months. It lists oil tycoons and hedge fund managers among its residents Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba are also residents. The estate is hidden behind security gates and guarded around the clock by security guards and CCTV cameras. But that has failed to protect the residents from falling foul of a string of crimes since April. Police have warned them to be on their guard after the latest incident last month was a gunpoint £100,000 robbery in which a diplomat’s wife and son were tied up. One resident said homeowners, who paid up to £10million for the privilege, are ‘living in fear’ of becoming the next victim. The neighbourhood, a favourite with Russian oil tycoons, hedge fund traders and City financiers, has been dubbed the British ‘Beverley Hills’. Among the high-profile names to own a home there are Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba. Other include Scottish TV actress Hannah Gordon, former Chelsea player Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and the BSkyB chief executive Jeremy Darroch. While former residents on the 420-home estate include Ringo Starr, Kate Winslet, Cliff Richard, Jenson Button and Sir Elton John. Surrey Police admitted the tranquil Weybridge neighbourhood, known as ‘The Hill’ to locals, has been hit by a string of crimes since April. Celebrity residents: Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba are among the people who live in St George's Hill, Surrey They included two violent robberies, a burglary, two thefts, the theft of a car, vandalism and a violent attack. Detectives are still hunting the masked gunman behind the terrifying robbery where the victims were tied up and threatened with a sawn-off shotgun. The woman, aged in her 30s, and her teenage son escaped unhurt as he made off with cash and jewellery worth £100,000. Police suspect their attacker may have had an accomplice in a car outside but the pair managed to dodge security on the estate. One local, who did not want to be named, said all householders had been warned about the recent crimes and been told to ‘be vigilant’. He said: ‘There has been a lot of talk about the crime rate in the past six months. ‘Although it might not seem particularly high compared to most of the country, the simple fact is that people pay a lot of money to live here and do not expect to be living in fear. ‘There are private security guards, CCTV cameras, barriers and all sorts, so this kind of thing is very out of the ordinary for people who live here. ‘We have been told to be vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour to the police and to the security team here.’ Elmbridge councillor Peter Harman said: ‘They’ve got their own security on the estate and they have cameras that monitor traffic going in and out, and all the cars are recorded, so it should be easy to trace people.’ The residents’ association boasts it is a ‘unique location’ for successful high achievers looking for a ‘secure and private location.’ Each house is required to have ‘at least’ one acre of land and boundaries cannot be marked by fences or walls, only hedges and bushes. The 964-acre estate boasts its own golf club and 15 tennis courts, four squash courts, state-of-the-art gym, 20m swimming pool and sauna, bar and restaurants and its own beauty spa. According to estate agents Savills, the the area is ‘internationally renowned as one of the most sought-after private estates in England.’ But it is not the first time the estate has had problems with unwanted intruders and people ignoring the law. In May, peace at the gated community was punctured when squatters moved into an empty property 200 yards from the members-only tennis club that forms its social hub. Residents were sent a letter saying those responsible were ‘known to police’ and they should be on their guard. But the unwelcome neighbours managed to stay for several weeks at the £3million empty property which was at the centre of a long-running legal dispute. A Surrey Police spokesman confirmed the crimes took and said officers continue to appeal for witnesses over the armed robbery. A spokesman for St George’s Hill Residents’ Association declined to comment.
Friday, 7 October 2011
A wealthy homeowner cleared of any wrongdoing after stabbing to death a suspected burglar at his home
A wealthy homeowner cleared of any wrongdoing after stabbing to death a suspected burglar at his home says he has endured a 'living nightmare' and still suffers flashbacks from the incident. Raymond Jacob, 37, suffered fatal stab wounds in a struggle at the Stockport house of courier boss Vincent Cooke on September 17. Mr Cooke was told by the Crown Prosecution Service that he will face no further action after it concluded he was acting in self-defence. Today, the 39-year-old said he was 'relieved' to hear the news but said the last few weeks had been a 'living nightmare' and that he was still suffering flashbacks. Released: Vincent Cooke, left, was told by the Crown Prosecution Service that he will face no further action after Raymond Jacob was stabbed to death at his home Mr Cooke's home. His case is the third in Greater Manchester this year involving suspected raiders being killed and the CPS ruling individuals had acted in self-defence In a statement issued through his lawyers he also thanked the public and for supporting him during this 'terrible event'. He said: 'I am most relieved that the CPS have decided not to charge me with any offence. 'It has been a living nightmare for me and I'm still suffering flashbacks of the incident.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
main leaders of a South Side gang with members as young as 12 years old were arraigned Wednesday in Vanderburgh County Superior Court on criminal gang-related charges.
Four Evansville teens who city police say are the main leaders of a South Side gang with members as young as 12 years old were arraigned Wednesday in Vanderburgh County Superior Court on criminal gang-related charges. Randell A. Francis, 19, Dalarrius T. Jackson, 18, John F. Robertson, 16, and Devontae K. Clardy, 16, were each charged with criminal gang activity and two counts of criminal gang recruitment, all class D felonies that automatically allow juveniles to be charged as adults. Jackson was additionally charged with battery resulting in bodily injury, which is typically a class D felony, but it became a class A felony because prosecutors said he committed the act as a member of a criminal gang. Devontae Clardy Randell Francis John Robertson Dalarrius Jackson All four entered preliminary pleas of not guilty, were appointed public defenders and had their bonds set with extra conditions that they not have contact with any gangs if they post bond. Jackson's bond was set at $1,500 cash. Francis and Robertson have $1,000 cash bonds. Clardy was the only one to have his bond successfully reduced to $500, and but he has an additional condition that he must live with his grandmother and attend school upon release, according to court records. Police say the four are the main leaders of "LA Zombies," a group with more than 20 members that police say have access to firearms and previously engaged in shootings with rival gang "Murda Squad." Evansville police have been investigating gangs in the Linwood and Adams avenues area for six months, according to police affidavits. They recently developed two confidential informants within the "LA Zombies." Police said the two, who are juveniles, obtained credible and reliable information about the inner workings of the gang. According to the affidavit, the two sources told police that a few of the members have guns and that they've been involved in shootings. They also described the gang's rituals. Confidential Source No. 1, or CS1, told police about "beat ins," in which prospective gang members get battered by current gang members or are placed into a fight with another person for initiation. Battering or fights also take place for those members who wanted to leave. CS2 told police that beat ins occurred at Sweetser Avenue housing projects. CS2 said the four leaders were involved. CS2 also mentioned that there was one individual above them in the gang's hierarchy, according to the affidavit. The affidavit said Francis was on probation for class D felony theft, resulting from a plea agreement on a burglary charge. The four had court dates set: Francis on Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.; Jackson on Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m.; Robertson on Nov. 9 at 9:30 a.m.; Clardy on Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m.
Killer of Giuseppe Gregory in Stretford was sucked into gangs after surviving shooting when aged 14
schoolboy aged 15 obsessed by guns and gangs murdered another teenager as part of a feud before fleeing overseas in a bid to escape justice. Moses ‘Mojo’ Mathias is believed to be Greater Manchester's youngest ever gangster convicted of murder. He was one of three gunmen with ties to the Gooch gang who killed Giuseppe Gregory, pictured right. Giuseppe, 16, was in a Volkswagen Golf which was shot at outside a party at the Robin Hood pub in Stretford in May 2009. It is not believed he was the intended target of the attack. Giuseppe Gregory's mother: My son was killed by a boy with a loaded gun Mathias went on the run to the Netherlands but was arrested and hauled before the courts where yesterday he admitted murder and firearms offences. The M.E.N. can reveal that Mathias was sucked into the violent world of Manchester gangs after surviving a shooting himself just after his 14th birthday. He was shot in the leg in Hulme Park by a gunman – understood to be connected to the Doddington gang – back in July 2007. It is not known if Mathias was the intended target of that shooting – or if he was shot simply for socialising in Gooch gang territory. But the attack, which happened during a tit-for-tat cycle of violence, changed the course of his life. During his trial, Njabulo Ndlovu, one of Mathias’ accomplices, described his transformation. He said: "I’ve known Moses since 2006. In those days he was not a gang member, but after he had been shot he became an angry young man and talked about gangs all the time. " Mathias, formerly of Randlesham Street, Prestwich, even got a tattoo pledging his allegiance to the Gooch. Script on his arm reads ‘Loc’ – a term used by Los Angeles Crips which means ‘crazy’, short for the Spanish slang term ‘loco’. Rusholme-raised Mathias, now 18, also told a police officer who visited his school that he was friends with Gooch gang members – and filled his Facebook pages with pictures of his encounters with them. On the night of Giuseppe’s murder, Mathias got the murder weapon – a 9mm Tokarev which he had hidden at a friend’s house in Crumpsall. Ndlovu and another man, Hiruy Zerihun were also involved in the attack. Zerihun used the gun brought by Mathias to fire the bullets which killed Giuseppe. Mathias also opened fire using another weapon, a .32 handgun. It is believed the shooting was in revenge for the earlier murder of 18-year-old Louis Brathwaite. Zerihun and Ndlovu were jailed for life after being found guilty of Giuseppe’s murder last year. Mathias was finally arrested in June this year when border guards checked passports on a high-speed train from the Netherlands to Germany.
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