Escort agency worker cleared of robbery charge

Debi Sinclair, 43, of St John’s Road, Watford had been accused of passing on information to Raymond Agbugba-Cansie, 27, of Whippendell Road, Watford which set up a drugs raid on a flat in which a man was murdered.

Sinclair was working at the Sure Delights escort agency when a “three-girl” booking returned in the early hours of November 23, 2006 with tales of a large amount of cocaine in the kitchen of a flat in South Oxhey.

Police traced mobile telephone calls between Sinclair and Agbugba-Cansie in the hours before the raid and claimed she had instigated matters by passing on the address of the flat to him.

However, Sinclair walked free from St Albans Crown Court on October 3 after she was first cleared of conspiracy to rob and then the jury returned before leaving for the weekend to acquit her of the lesser charge of conspiracy to steal.

Agbugba-Cansie along with Nathan Bruce, 21, of Harwood Court, Hoxton and Leon Walsh 22, of Whiston Road, Hackney were found guilty of conspiracy to rob. Thaimloll Conteh, 20, of Cropley Court, Hoxton, admitted to the charge part way through the trial.

And on Monday Bruce was convicted of the murder of painter and decorator David Driscoll by a majority verdict of 10 to two.

Mr Driscoll died from a stab wound to the neck outside the South Oxhey flat in the drugs robbery almost two years ago.

During the trial of four men charged with murder the court heard how Mr Driscoll was fatally wounded in the kitchen of the flat in Filton House, Oxhey Drive, on Thursday, November 23, 2006.

There was a hung jury on Raymond Agbugba-Cansie, 27, of Whippendell Road, Watford — the man the prosecution say was the ringleader of a gang which raided the flat in search of a large amount of cocaine on the night of Mr Driscoll’s death. The Crown Prosecution Service has until the end of the month to request a retrial.

Walsh and Conteh were found not guilty of murder.

The men are due to be sentenced on Thursday.