A father-of-one involved with a ruthless Post Off

A father-of-one involved with a ruthless Post
Office robbery gang was jailed for four years today Friday.

As John Henry, 27, was led away from the dock at
Southwark Crown Court he shouted to his sobbing girfriend,
and mother of child: ‘I’m all right’
Judge Victor Watts said: ‘You have been found guilty of
handling stolen goods.

‘Some pnds stlg 22,000 was found in your possession.

‘Commonsense dictates the view that you must have known a
great deal more about the source of that money than you have admitted.

‘On the other hand you had nothing to do on the jury’s verdict
with kidnapping and robbery.

‘I have taken on board the new changes in recent legislation
and I impose a sentence of four years imprisonment.

‘
Jobless Henry, of The Broadway, Bexleyheath, had
been cleared of conspiracy to rob, which he denied, but found
guilty by the jury of handling.

Last month three of the robbery plotters got a total
of 40 years jail.

The court heard how the team of armed raiders bagged
pounds 750,000 in a series of Post Office van raids using high
tech and psychological terror tactics.

A jury of five men and six women took more than a day to find the
mobsters guilty of a ‘highly sophisticated, professional and
extremely unpleasant’ reign of terror.

It involved kidnapping PO security van crews, threatening them with
violence and psychological torture before stealing the cash.

Terrence Agombar, 29, a pub manager, of Gainsborough Square,
Bexleyheath, unemployed Gary Hutchins, 29, of Ellesworth Street,
Bethnal Green, and Mark Cummings, a breakdown truck driver, of
Brayford Square, Whitechapel, were found guilty of conspiracy to
rob between December, 1989, and November, 1991.

They all pleaded not guilty.

Judge Victor Watts jailed Agombar and Cummings for 14 years and
Hutchins got 12 years.

The court heard how the gang staged six daring raids between December
1989 and November last year in Kent, Whitechapel, Chingford and at the
main post office in the City – across the road from the Old Bailey.

Mr Michael Stuart Moore, QC, prosecuting, said the cunning robbers
used inside information to target PO vans carrying large amounts of
cash.

The inside information was also used to pick drivers or guards who
would be kidnapped at gunpoint before the robberies.

They also had details of their victims’ families including
photographs of wives and children, their addresses and knowledge of
their work places or schools.

The victims were warned that if they did not co-operate their family
would suffer.

Each victim was then wired for sound with pounds 1,000 bugging
devices and told to collect his van from the depot.

He was warned not
to double cross the gang as the crooks would be able to monitor all
conversation.

Mr Stuart-Moore said: ‘It was a highly sophisticated, professional,
and extremely unpleasant scheme.

‘These defendants made it their business to get around the problems
normally facing armed robbers.

For a time, never getting so greedy
that they would be caught, they met with great success – striking
at irregular intervals, so that no-one would know when they
were going to hit next.

‘
Counsel said the gang also picked PO workers they thought were
unlikely to offer ‘a hero’s resistance.

‘
He said they took a victim at gunpoint.

‘The next thing they did was
to frighten the living daylights out of them.

‘The purpose of all this was to instil in the victim the very
greatest fear of imminent personal danger if they did not do what was
asked of them.

‘Threats to life and limb were made.

They did their best to break
the victim psychologically.

‘
One driver was shown a photograph of his wife and another of a
daughter.

They were told to get colleagues to co-operate by saying their
details too were known by the gang.

One driver was so traumatised by the gang he has only just returned
to work.

But the Flying Squad were to bring the scam to an end on November 13
last year when they swooped at the end of a major surveillance
operation.

Arrests came after the gang stole pounds 112,000 and were followed to
a safe house in Wenvoe Avenue, Bexleyheath.

As Agombar and Cummings
left in luxury cars stuffed with banknotes they were arrested.

Judge Watts also ordered Agombar to forfeit pounds 7,975 found when
his home was seached.

Praising ‘the Sweeney’ for their successful ‘Operation Wooton Two’,
he said: ‘The public can rightly feel indebted to the police for the
work that’s been done.

‘
The defendants greeted the commendation from the dock with a round of
applause.

More than pounds 610,000 of the proceeds of the robberies has never
been recovered.

Another member of the gang, Henry James Cummins (correct and no link
to Cummings) is on the run.

His escape as police arrived at the house
has been featured on the Crimewatch television programme.

After the case, Flying Squad detective Albert Patrick revealed
how accountants first questioned money earned by publican Terrence
Agombar at his Hackney pub.

Det Supt Patrick said the pub was used to launder cash stolen in the
robberies.

‘He fronted as manager but police became suspicious because of the
amount of money passing through there,’ said Mr Patrick.

‘City accountants Touche Roche were used to carry out a financial
investigation into the pub’s accounts and turned up a series of
irregularities.

‘They turned up pounds 750,000, of which exactly pounds 124,000 has
been recovered.

‘
Agombar was the mastermind behind the six robberies – the scam
launched within six weeks of his release from jail after completing a
four year term for attempted robbery.

Ironically that offence centred
on a PO van and kidnapping its crew.

Mr Patrick said: ‘As a result of these robberies Post Office
deliveries of money have been changed.

‘
But he added that the team were ‘one of the most sophisticated and
ruthless gangs I have ever come across.

‘
ENDS