Irish leader of armed gang likely to die in prison

THE Irish leader of a British armed robbery gang wept yesterday as he learned he was likely to die in prison after being convicted by a judge in a historic trial without a jury.

Career criminal John Twomey, 62, was jailed for 20 years and six months at the Old Bailey for a £1.75 million raid on a Heathrow warehouse in February 2004.

The twice-married father-of-five, who is originally from Co Cork, raised a tattooed forearm and wiped away tears, amid sobs from the public gallery, before being taken down.

His barrister, John Aspinall, said: “It is a distinct prospect that he will serve the rest of his days in prison.”

It has taken four trials to bring Twomey, who has serious heart problems, and three other robbers to justice. In total, the cost to the public is estimated at more than £25m – more than 14 times the amount that was stolen.

The third trial was stopped amid allegations of jury tampering and, under new laws, the Court of Appeal ordered a judge alone to hear the case, which began in January under Mr Justice Treacy.

It was the first serious criminal trial without a jury in England and Wales and described by the Crown Prosecution Service as a “benchmark” case.

Yesterday, Twomey, of New Milton, Hampshire, was found guilty of robbery and a firearms charge alongside Glenn Cameron, 50, Barry Hibberd, 43, and Peter Blake, 57.

Blake, who shot at one of 16 members of staff rounded up during the armed raid at the Menzies World Cargo warehouse, was also convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and a further firearms charge.

Because of his previous record of armed robbery he was given three life sentences, to run concurrently.

Blake, of Notting Hill, west London, was told by the judge that he had led a “life of crime” and was ordered to serve at least 10 years and nine months in prison.

Football hooligan Hibberd, of Shepherd’s Bush, west London, was jailed for 17 years and six months, while Cameron, Twomey’s brother-in-law and “loyal lieutenant”, was given a 15-year sentence.

Twomey, described by the judge as “clearly the organiser, planner and recruiter” of the robbery, evaded justice in his first trial thanks to a heart attack and in the second because of a hung jury.

The third trial ground to a halt in December 2008 when prosecutors handed Judge Jeremy Roberts secret evidence indicating attempts had been made to nobble two of the jurors.

In June last year, the “hallowed principle” of trial by jury was set aside by the Court of Appeal, which found there was a “real and present danger” of tampering. It was the first case using powers under the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Mr Justice Treacy began the latest trial in January and heard all the evidence and legal submissions in just over two months.

There was a hiccup when Blake, who had been on bail, absconded for a week before handing himself in, later claiming he had just wanted to get some clothes.

In the preceding years the case had already been beset by problems, including a botched police surveillance operation and the decision by a judge not to take guilty verdicts from a jury in the second trial three years ago.

Even the robbers had some bad luck, mistakenly believing they were going to steal £10m thanks to a misread cargo manifest. They got away with just a fraction of that, but it has never been recovered.

Twomey, who began his career as an armed robber in the 1970s, always denied his role in the raid. Born in Cork in 1948, he moved to Paddington, west London, as a child, later living in Ruislip. He claimed his living came from a share in a pub in Ruislip as well as selling items such as DVDs, CDs and shoes.