Jailed: Three men who posed as delivery drivers and burst into terrified mother’s home in mistaken drugs stash raid

Three men have been jailed after posing as delivery drivers and forcing their way into the home of a terrified mother in south London during a botched robbery.

Ryan Roche, 27, from Southwark, was sentenced to four years and three months’ imprisonment at Inner London Crown Court on Friday while Jeamelle Baptiste, 28, of West Sussex was sentenced to three years and 11 months’ imprisonment.

Cavelle Robinson, 26, of Croydon, was sentenced at the same court on 8 December 2020 to three years’ imprisonment.

All three pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at the same court on Monday, 28 September. In addition, Robinson pleaded guilty to possession of a Class B drug - cannabis.

The court heard that at about 18:50pm on July 3, Robinson drove Roche and Baptiste to near a residential address in Dulwich.

Baptiste posed as a delivery man – even wearing a delivery company’s t-shirt and a surgical facemask – and rang the doorbell.

When the victim – a woman in her 30s – opened the door, he told her he had a parcel for her. She told him to leave it on the doorstep but he then asked for her name and after she replied, he said he had made a mistake and left.

But moments after, the victim heard the doorbell ring several times again and she eventually opened the door while holding her one-year-old daughter.

Baptiste was once again at the door holding the parcel and the victim told him to leave it on the doorstep when Roche, who was hiding to one side, jumped out and forcibly pushed the victim into the house.

The victim pleaded with the suspects not to attack her or hurt her child. Roche and Baptiste kept repeatedly ‘where are the drugs’. She replied there were no drugs in the address, but there was some money in a container on the kitchen counter.

Baptiste and Roche turned their backs to look at the money and the victim took the opportunity to run into her garden and shouted ‘call the police, I am being attacked.’

Watch: Armed robbery at Madison County store under investigation

Roche went into the garden, grabbed her arm and dragged her back inside the house.

Concerned that the victims crimes had alerted many people, Baptiste said to Roche "let’s go" and they ran out the front door which prompted the victim to run out into the road and again shout that she was being attacked and to call the police.

A number of neighbours left their houses and chased after the suspects. One of the neighbours saw the two men enter a black Volkswagen Golf, which was parked nearby.

Immediately after this neighbour called the police, officers in a marked vehicle saw the car approach a junction at speed.

They blocked the car at the junction and Roche and Robinson were detained and arrested. Baptiste ran from the front passenger seat and began garden hopping – discarding clothes as he ran – but he was soon detained and arrested.

Officers searched the vehicle, registered to Robinson, and found the delivery company t-shirt in the front passenger foot well.

Detective Sergeant Chris Shepherd, from the Central South area’s Burglary and Robbery Investigation Team, said: “This case of mistaken identity was an absolutely terrifying ordeal for the victim and her three young children. Luckily, she bravely used an opportunity presented to her to run outside and alert her neighbours.

“I’d like to thank her neighbours for being so vigilant and for calling the police, providing excellent descriptions of the suspects and the getaway vehicle. This allowed nearby response officers to swiftly apprehend and arrest the culprits of this abhorrent crime. The evidence we put together left the suspects no choice but to plead guilty.”

Watch: Police looking for two suspects responsible for eight Patterson Park armed robberies

Read More

Manhunt after pensioner robbed in south London