A gang of armed robbers who only targeted Ladbrokes bookmakers have been jailed.

The gang carried out a series of robberies and attempted robberies across Hertfordshire and north and west London in 2016 and 2017.

Staff at the bookies were threatened with a handgun, hammer, and a samurai sword and in total, the gang escaped with more than £20,000.

It transpired that some members of the group were Ladbrokes employees and they were able to use inside knowledge to exploit the procedure.

Two women would lure Ladbrokes employees away from the counter to ask for help with a gambling machine, which is when the remaining gang members made their move. They would run into the bookies, armed with weapons, and staff were forced to open the safes and hand over cash.

Borehamwood Times:

(Clockwise from top left) Demetri Fairweather, Shannon Roberts, Jordan Reid, Johnson Konan, Yaanan Reid, and Diana Holder.

During one robbery in Brent on December 3 2016, an employee was struck with a handgun while at a Ladbrokes in Southall on September 15 2016, a customer and staff had guns pointed to their heads.

The bookies in College Hill Road, Harrow Weald was robbed twice. Robberies also took place in Honeypot Lane, Stanmore, Coles Green Road, Brent, Allenby Road, Southall, Percival Road, Enfield, and New Heston Road, Hounslow.

The gang targeted Ladbrokes’ in Hempstead Road, Kings Langley, Manor Way in Borehamwood, and The Broadway in Uxbridge but were unsuccessful on those occasions.

CCTV captured the moment members of the armed gang stormed a Ladbrokes

Detectives from the Met’s Flying Squad analysed CCTV and carried out a surveillance operation.

One of the group, Demetri Fairweather, worked at a Ladbrokes in Ealing and failed to press his panic alarm despite being told several times to do this by his manager during a robbery on June 16 2016.

Another of member of the group, Johnson Konan, was also an ex-Ladbrokes employee.

Demetri Fairweather, 22, of Hatton Road, Wembley, who was found guilty of conspiracy to rob after a trial was sentenced yesterday to seven years imprisonment.

Three other members of the group, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm were sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court, as follows in July:

Jordan Reid, 23, of Alder Grove, Brent, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment. He was sentenced to a further 12 months in jail, to be served consecutively, after he admitted breaching a suspended sentence order.

Yaanan Reid, 19, of Alder Grove, Brent, was sentenced to eight years and three months.

Johnson Konan, 22, of Church Road, Brent, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment. He was sentenced to a further 12 months in jail, to be served consecutively, after he admitted breaching a suspended sentence order.

Shannon Roberts, 21, of Downland Street, Queen’s Park, was sentenced to six years imprisonment after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and was found guilty after trial of conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm.

Diana Holder, 22, of Hanover Circle, Hayes, was sentenced to three years imprisonment after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob. She was found not guilty of conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm.