Two gang members jailed for armed robberies that took place over 24-hours in 2020 including in Skegness
Two members of a gang have been jailed for a string of street robberies over 24-hours in 2020.
Tracey Hepburn and Kenneth Bromfield formed part of a four-piece gang that carried out five robberies over 24 hours between August 19 and August 20, 2020, including one in Skegness, three in Nottingham and one in Long Eaton in Derbyshire.
The pair appeared in Nottingham Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday, April 16) where Hepburn, 47, was jailed for 14 years on nine counts of robbery, two of attempted robbery, two of possessing a bladed article, two of possessing an imitation firearm and one of possessing an offensive weapon.
Bromfield, 67, was the driver during the robberies and was jailed for 12 years for six counts of robbery, two of attempted robbery, two of possessing a bladed article and one of possessing an offensive.
The other two members of the gang, including Logan Davies, 21, and a younger boy who cannot be named, were jailed two-and-a-half years ago.
Davies, of Rose Close, St Ann’s in Nottingham, was jailed for 11 years and two months in September 2021. He was ordered to spend two-thirds of the sentence in custody and the rest on licence.
He pleaded guilty to 17 offences, including 11 counts of robbery, two counts of attempted robbery, one count of possession of a bladed article, two counts of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and one count of possession of an offensive weapon.
The younger offender was sentenced to eight years and 10 months in custody after pleading guilty to 19 offences, including 13 counts of robbery, two counts of attempted robbery, two counts of possession of a bladed article, one count of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and one count of possession of an offensive weapon.
The first incident took place in Palmerston Gardens, St Ann’s, Nottingham, at around 10pm on August 19, where two victims were walking down an alleyway from a night out and were confronted by three people in masks.
One offender pulled out an imitation firearm while the other two produced knives.
One victim managed to flee the scene, but the other had two knives held to his stomach while his phone, keys and driving licence were stolen from him.
Only 25 minutes later, two men were sitting on a bench in the Forest Recreation Ground when they were approached by three masked offenders.
When the victims refused to hand over their belongings, one of the robbers pulled out an imitation firearm and began hitting one of them on the head.
The offenders then fled with two mobile phones.
In the early hours of August 20, two men were walking home from a night out in Beeston when three men in masks approached them.
One of the men was able to run away and call the police, but the other was backed into a shop window and robbed of cash and a mobile phone at knifepoint.
The fourth robbery took place at 2am that morning in Long Eaton, where another two victims were walking home and targeted by the offenders.
Two members of the gang demanded one of the men hand over their belongings and stole his phone, bank card, watch and other items.
The other victim tried to run away, but was cornered and robbed of his mobile phone by the third offender.
The fifth robbery to take place saw the gang travel to Skegness where they approached a group of teenagers celebrating their exam results on the pier.
One of the teenagers was told to turn out their pockets, but when they refused the offenders presented hammers from their waistbands and struck two of the teenagers before fleeing with items including mobile phones, bank cards and cash.
At the scene of four of the incidents, Bromfield’s Seat Arona was found to be close.
A video found on the youngest offender’s mobile phone also shows an Arona car and puts all four offenders in the same location.
When Nottinghamshire Police officers raided Bromfield and Hepburn’s home, they found hammers, face coverings, knives, and clothing they had previously been seen wearing on CCTV footage.
A ring found at the scene of the Skegness robbery also helped link Hepburn and Bromfield to the crimes using DNA evidence.
Further evidence was found on drops of blood on the handles of the hammers.
Analysis of Hepburn’s mobile phone also showed her location in relation to the incident locations and the locations of her co-accused.
Detective Constable Natasha Ullyatt, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Over a 24-hour period these four offenders subjected a string of innocent victims to terrifying ordeals which continue to impact them to this day.
“The victims just happened to be in the wrong places at the wrong times when they were confronted by violent robbers, sometimes masked and carrying weapons, who demanded they hand over their personal belongings.
“The younger offenders had already embarked on their campaign of violent offending when it appears they recruited Hepburn and Bromfield.
“Hepburn took an active part in the robberies while Bromfield acted as the driver to allow them to travel further away from Nottingham to continue offending.
“This was a very complex and unusual investigation and it’s fair to say I’ve never come across anything like this case in my 10 years of policing. I hope I never will again.
“At the heart of the case, however, were a series of victims, of varying ages, who underwent traumatic incidents and who we were determined to get justice for.”
While in court, Hepburn also admitted to assaulting an emergency worker following a separate incident on November 29, 2022, when she grabbed the arm of a police officer in Bramcote Street, Nottingham.
Bromfield was also convicted of possession of a bladed article after being stopped by police in Derby Road, Beeston, on May 6, 2020.
