Two violent men who carried out a spate of burglaries targeting vulnerable elderly people in their own homes have been jailed.

Troy Benjamin, 39 (18.10.79) of Mowbray Road, Brent was found guilty of six separate distraction burglaries and one count of GBH following a trial at Harrow Crown Court.

On Wednesday, 9 May he was sentenced to 19 years in jail at the same court.

John Wall, 44 (15.10.74), of Halliwick Road, Haringey pleaded guilty to the same six burglaries and dangerous driving offences. He was jailed for 6 years 10 months and disqualified from driving for 70 months.

Benjamin and Wall were both arrested on 9 October 2018 following a proactive operation into a high number of burglaries targeting elderly victims.

The court heard the first burglary was reported on September 20 2018 on Howard Road, Brent.

Benjamin and Wall approached the house, telling the elderly male victim there had been a leak next door and asking to check there was no flooding in his property.

While one of the suspects pretended to check the kitchen taps, the second suspect searched upstairs, taking a quantity of cash before both left the scene.

In another offence, on September 26 2018, an elderly woman went to put out her bins on St Albans Road, Brent.

As she did so, she was approached by Benjamin and Wall who said they were there to check her boiler. One then went with the victim to the kitchen and took the cover off the boiler while the second went into the living room and bedroom and stole cash.

On October 5 2018, police were called after an elderly woman was woken at her home in Oaklands Road, Brent by the sight of Benjamin and Wall in her bedroom, searching through the wardrobe.

She told them that she had no money and after shouting for help, a neighbour came to her aid and confronted Benjamin, attempting to detain him.

He then stabbed the man’s left arm with an unknown object, leaving him with life changing injuries, before fleeing the scene.

Officers from the Met’s North West CID carried out a complex investigation involving in-depth telephone analysis.

Their enquiries led to the arrest of Benjamin and Wall on October 9 2018.

List of burglary offences in chronological order:

1. Howard Road, NW2, Brent September 20 2018
2. Astley Avenue, NW2, Brent September 23 2018
3. St Albans Road, NW10, Brent September 26 2018
4. Elizabeth Court, Willesden Lane, NW2, Brent September 26 2018
5. Linacre Road, NW2, Brent September 27 2018
6. Oaklands Road, NW2, Brent 5 October 2018

Detective Constable Parminder Ahluwalia, who led the investigation, said: “This was a despicable series of burglaries with both men cowardly targeting elderly residents before tricking their way into properties to steal items, as well as using violence against a neighbour who tried to help his friend.

“We are pleased that the sentences they have been given reflect their callous actions and we hope the victims can now begin to leave this bad episode in their lives behind them knowing these two men are locked up in prison for the foreseeable future.”

Leave a Reply