18/11/2010 15:11:01
FIVE men have received jail sentences totalling 72 years for their part in a violent robbery in which a man was injected with horse tranquiliser.
The men were convicted at the Old Bailey in London today (November 18) for carrying out the crime at a home in Linnet, Orton Wistow, Peterborough, on the morning of April 29 this year.
Arkadiusz Kwiatkowski, 31, received a 15 year prison sentence, Michal Kwiatkowski, 26, received 15 years, Tomasz Marecki, received 15 years, Yaser Amin, 26, was jailed for 15 years and Rafal Dzidowski, 27, received 12 years.
The court heard the men broke into the home at about 7am, entered a bedroom and tied up the victim, a 27-year-old man. They injected him in the neck with liquid ketamine and took him downstairs while ordering his girlfriend to remain upstairs.
They demanded money but he did not respond and he was injected again and threatened.
Police were called at just before 7.20am by a member of the public who said four men were trying to steal a vehicle from a garage at the address while the front door of the property had been forced.
Officers arrived and arrested Arkadiusz Kwiatkowski, who is from Enfield, London, and Dzidowski and Amin, who are both from Reading. They were in a black Audi A3 parked near the address, which was also found to contain a large quantity of cash, cable ties, a balaclava, mobile phones, gloves and a map.
Michal Kwiatkowski from Wood Green, London, and Marecki, from Walthamstow, London, were arrested a short distance away.
All the men denied being involved in the incident but the five were today found guilty on charges of robbery.
Arkadiusz Kwiatkowski, Michal Kwiatkowski, Marecki and Amin were convicted of administering a noxious substance. Dzidowski was cleared of that charge.
Arkadiusz Kwiatkowski was convicted of burglary with violence, the other four were acquitted on that count.
Detective Constable Liam Sweeney, who investigated, said: “This was a violent and shocking crime which left the victim and his girlfriend extremely shaken.
“They forced their way in while the victims were still asleep before binding, gagging and injecting him in their bid to steal money.
“The sentence given today reflects the seriousness of the offence.”
