Two cryptocurrency millionaires were held captive for more than two days by a London gang who made them strip naked and forced them into compromising positions in a bid to blackmail them, a court heard.
The two men’s lifestyles of excess – much of it posted on social media – was said to have likely made them targets for extortion.
A jury found two men guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment at Inner London Crown Court last week and a further three men were convicted of false imprisonment.
But the court heard that the operation had been controlled from overseas by a mastermind who instructed the offenders through WhatsApp and Snapchat, and that this kingpin – known as Nino – is still at large.
One of the victims alleged that he had also been sexually assaulted by two members of the gang. The jury cleared them of this but as a result of the accusation, the pair cannot be identified because of laws protecting alleged victims of sexual assault.
Prosecuting barrister Heidi Stonecliffe KC said that the millionaires – who are in their 20s – lived extravagant lifestyles that were ‘widely published on social media’ which ‘may well have attracted unwanted attention’.
Their ordeal ended only after a car chase of up to 70mph through residential London streets after the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad tracked down where the millionaires were being held.
When one of the victims was pulled from the offenders’ car, he did so with his hands tied and covered in cigarette burns that he said came from being tortured by the gang, including one burn in the middle of his forehead and one on his cheek.
Police chased a car carrying Julius George, Isaac Bakoya and Adel Sineen through the streets of London before the defendants crashed into a lamppost
Officers then continued the pursuit on foot, capturing Bakoya, George and Sineen following the chase
George’s knife was pictured inside a police evidence bag after being found by a police dog
The millionaires – who are from France but were staying in Kensington – declined to give evidence in person, saying they were too afraid of the gang after the offences, which happened in July last year.
The court heard that the man behind the plot – Ibrahim Mohamed, known as Nino and entered as ‘Fatboy’ in one of the offenders’ phones – had evaded capture.
In the 52 hours that the millionaires were kept in a flat in a block called Rathbone East in Canning Town, east London, the victims said that all they were given to eat during their imprisonment was one KFC spicy chicken wing, while the members of the gang present feasted on the rest of a 20-piece bucket. One of the victims claimed that he was forced to drink toilet water.
The court was told that the millionaires transferred $30,000 in cryptocurrency to the gang but that when no more money was forthcoming, one was let go while the other was driven away. In a recorded interview that the jury heard, the remaining victim said he believed he had been ‘sold’ to another gang who would try to extort more money from him.
The millionaires were held after travelling from west London to east London to buy some cannabis. Ms Stonecliffe said that, after leaving their rented black Mercedes in Shadwell, the pair were ambushed by three masked men with a gun and a knife and forced back into the car, which was then driven to the stronghold by one of the gang, Yasir Mohamed, previously convicted of drug dealing and possessing a knife.
The victims said that there they had boiling water poured over their bodies, including their genitals, and that a cigarette was stubbed out in one of their mouths.
Ms Stonecliffe described the millionaires’ ordeal as ‘cold, hard torture’. She said: ‘They were bound with tape and cable ties and beaten,’ adding that both had socks stuffed in their mouths, and were told they would be forced to have sex with each other and threatened with having their genitals cut off if they did not hand over $150,000. One was informed that his girlfriend would be raped, she said.
However, those convicted of false imprisonment and conspiracy to blackmail were all cleared of kidnap charges, possessing an imitation firearm and sexual assault.
The gang were traced through the phone of a friend of the Frenchmen, who had travelled with them in the Mercedes. Ms Stonecliffe said he was dragged from the car in the ambush but his phone had been left in the car unnoticed.
The friend travelled back to west London, where he persuaded a security guard at McDonald’s in Earl’s Court to make a 999 call. Police could then trace the location of the offenders’ hideout through the friend’s mobile.
Gerson Borges was arrested two days later when police tracked him down
Gerson Borges would later be found guilty of blackmail and false imprisonment
The chase ended with Adel Sineen, 18, (pictured) crashing into a lamp post. He admitted dangerous driving
Isaac Bakoya (pictured) admitted false imprisonment for his role in the gangs crimes
Julius George, 22, was found guilty of false imprisonment and admitted carrying a knife
He returned to the Earl’s Court Airbnb where the victims had been staying with him and a female friend, who started receiving calls from the victims and one of the kidnappers desperately trying to have money transferred. However, Flying Squad officers advised her on stalling techniques to give the police time to rescue the victims.
To have more money transferred, Yasir Mohamed, 23, of Forest Gate, east London, drove from Canning Town to the Airbnb in Earl’s Court to gain access to another cryptocurrency wallet. Flying Squad officers were waiting and he was arrested. However, the jury cleared him of conspiracy to kidnap, false imprisonment, possessing an imitation firearm and sexual assault, and could not reach a verdict on conspiracy to blackmail.
The defendants’ barristers claimed that there was no kidnap attempt. They said the two millionaires had travelled to east London to buy a large amount of cannabis and that the means their clients used to get the Frenchmen to pay up were virtually all legitimate. It was also stated that one of the victims was under investigation in France for fraud.
However, Ms Stonecliffe pointed to the aggressive and threatening nature of demands for payment made by one gang member to the Airbnb and said: ‘That’s not payment for a deal, that’s payment for people.’
After Mr Mohamed, the next to be arrested were Julius George, 22, of Earlsfield, south-west London, Isaac Bakoya, 18, of West Norwood, south London and Adel Sineen, 18, of Camberwell, south London.
The trio were recruited to transport the millionaires from the flat where they had been held. They were all present in the offenders’ car when the police started their pursuit, which concluded with getaway driver Sineen crashing into a lamp-post. Bakoya was arrested in the car, while armed police officers chased down George and Sineen on foot.
Sineen admitted dangerous driving but was cleared of false imprisonment and he and Bakoya were found not guilty of possessing a knife.
George admitted to carrying a knife, which he tried to throw away as he was being chased by police down a residential street. It was found by police and a police dog called Sully in a front garden and was covered in George’s DNA.
Further arrests were made of those who had stayed in the flat – Gerson Borges, 24, of Camberwell, south London, and Mohamed Osman, 29, of Finsbury Park, north London, who were found guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment. Also found guilty of false imprisonment was William Adebisi, 19, of Romford, Essex.
Gerson Borges and Mohamed Osman were found guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment
William Adebisi was also found guilty of false imprisonment but the jury failed to reach a verdict on conspiracy to blackmail
The jury could not reach a verdict as to whether Adebisi was guilty or not of conspiracy to blackmail. The Crown Prosecution Service is yet to decide whether it wishes to try him and Mr Mohamed again over these charges.
The Flying Squad’s operation to track down the offenders and free the held men – codenamed Operation Azawahk – relied heavily on tracking where mobile phones were being used and CCTV footage. The team traced Borges, Osman and Adebisi using these methods.
Osman, Adebisi, Borges, Bakoya, George and Sineen will be sentenced in September for their convictions. Sineen has been on bail since his arrest – apart from when he was taken into custody for repeatedly failing to turn up to court – and all the other defendants have been in custody.
Metropolitan Police Flying Squad Detective Chief Inspector Laura Hillier said: ‘These convictions demonstrate the Met’s determination to pursue those involved in serious violence, even in the most challenging circumstances.
‘Our thoughts remain with the victims, who have endured a traumatic and deeply distressing experience.
‘Significantly, this case is a rare example of a conviction of this kind being secured without victim testimony. It sends a clear message that offenders cannot assume they can evade justice simply because victims are unable or unwilling to give evidence.
‘Through meticulous investigation and the presentation of a wide range of evidence, officers were able to build a compelling case and hold those responsible to account.
‘This outcome reflects our continued commitment to tackling serious violence, protecting vulnerable people and keeping London safe. We will continue to relentlessly pursue those who seek to cause fear and harm in our communities.’
