Ricardo Fraser was sentenced to eight years and Ayrron Charles was jailed to seven years (Pic-Met Police)
Ricardo Fraser, 19, and Ayrron Charles, 30, were sentenced to eight and seven years respectively at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday, 29 November.
They had both previously been found guilty of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon at the same court earlier in the month.
Fraser also pled guilty at an earlier hearing to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply.
The robbery took place in February 2019, the victim returned to his home in Leyton where he was ambushed by Charles and Fraser.
Charles demanded he hand over money and when he refused Charles threatened him with a machete.
Fraser then grabbed the money, £5,700, and the pair then attempted to flee the scene.
The victim fought back, tackling Charles to the ground and then kicking Fraser off a bicycle, rendering it unusable.
As Fraser fell off the bike he dropped a mobile phone and a machete sheaf.
The victim’s wife came outside because of commotion, they were then punched to the floor.
During the struggle the victims saw something they believed to be a firearm being pointed at them, allowing Fraser and Charles to escape.
Detectives from the North East Area’s Gangs Unit launched an investigation and identified the pair from DNA which was found on the dropped phone, Charles was also identified by the victim who knocked off his mask during the altercation.
The pair had been in contact with one another through phone conversations prior to the assault and Charles tried to contact Fraser on the dropped phone, which was now in the police’s possession after the robbery.
Further enquiries showed that Charles was slowly depositing money into his bank account, while Fraser deposited a large sum of money on an expensive watch.
Their defence in court was that they were not robbers but in fact drug dealers and that was where the money was coming from.
The jury did not agree with this version of events and found the pair guilty of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.
Fraser also plead guilty at an earlier hearing to possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
At one point he breached his bail conditions so officers attended his address. once they arrived at his bail address property they found two golf ball sized wraps of a white power.
Fraser claimed that it was baking power, tests found it to be £760 worth of heroin.
Detectives also downloaded Fraser’s phone and found messages that indicated he was supplying Class A drugs between 25 July and 12 August 2020.
Detective Constable Aaron Barnes-Weston, the investigating officer from the North East Area’s Gangs Unit, said: “This investigation has resulted in two very violent individuals being jailed for a considerable period of time, safeguarding the public. They ambushed the victim at his home address – a place he should be safe – and they had no qualms with brandishing a dangerous weapon and even assaulting a woman in a bid to escape with the victim’s hard earned money.
“The victim showed great courage and character in defending himself, his family and his property during the incident whilst also identifying the offender during identity procedures and supporting police giving evidence. While it was a terrifying ordeal, thankfully neither the victim nor his wife were seriously injured during the incident.
“The Met will continue to robustly target and bring to justice violent offenders like Charles and Fraser.”
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Tags: Robbery, Waltham Forest, Leyton, Violent robbery
