When a group broke into a mother’s home in southwest London, she was beaten and restrained. The police are still attempting to locate the stolen dog.
A trio was sentenced to 35 years in prison for posing as police officers, punching a mother to the ground, and tying her up during a “very violent” home invasion.
Michael Cloherty, 58, Simon Ludlow, 50, and Michael Cook, 54, arrived at the residence in Putney, southwest London, claiming they needed to perform a narcotics search while wearing caps with the word “police” on the front and wielding friction-lock batons.
One of the men produced a false identification card.
When the homeowner, a woman in her 30s, confronted them, they grabbed her by the throat and pulled her back inside.
During the ordeal, she was punched and stamped on before her wrists were bound. Her children were there at home.
The males left with cash, Christmas gifts, and a two-month-old puppy after ransacking the residence on November 21, 2017.
A blue merle American extra-large bulldog puppy has not been located.
The police discovered that the gang had traveled to Putney a few days before on what appeared to be a reconnaissance mission to identify access points and surveillance cameras, or a failed burglary attempt.
After raiding the gang’s residences, officers uncovered “crucial evidence” that led to their arrests.
Last week, they were all found guilty of aggravated burglary following a trial at the Kingston Crown Court.
Cloherty, from Orpington in southeast London, was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Ludlow, of Mitcham, southeast London, was given a 12-year sentence, while Cook, of Norbury, southwest London, was given a 10-year sentence.
Detective Inspector Andy Durham from the specialized crime south squad of the Metropolitan Police stated following the sentencing that the men “used excessive violence to rob a mother in her family home. They injured her before snatching her children’s gifts and their very small, cherished dog.”
His colleague, Detective Inspector Dan Whitten of the southwest command unit, stated, “This crime involved extensive planning, aggression, and a disregard for the consequences on the vulnerable youngsters present.” The criminals posed a greater threat to the general people.
“I am relieved that they are no longer in a position to wreak so extensive damage, and I hope that their convictions will assist to reassure the local population.”
Additionally, DI Whiten applauded the victim’s “fortitude” and the cops who brought the perpetrators to justice.
