Vicious raider Kurtis Dilks from Clifton received a 30-year jail sentence for the terrifying raid at the home of former England left back Ashley Cole and his partner. Wearing a face mask in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court as he was told how long he will languish behind bars, 'lifestyle criminal' Dilks showed no emotion.
Dilks, of of Whitegate Vale, was found guilty of robbing Cole and his partner Sharon Canu, as well as being part of a conspiracy to rob the home of former Tottenham and Derby midfielder Tom Huddlestone with co-defendants Ashley Cumberpatch, 36 ,formerly of First Avenue, Carlton, and Andrew MacDonald, 42, of o Berridge Road West, The Arboretum.
The headline sentence for Dilks was the 30 years with a five-extended period on licence for the horrific offending at the home of Cole. Cole said in a victim impact statement, "the attack on my home, my family and me, and the situation it created, has led to a large range of emotions".
READ MORE: Gang hear fate after £3.5m tiara theft and raids on footballers including Ashley Cole
"For me being in that situation with a gang of men in my house and seeing terror and confusion on my young children's faces will never leave me," said the ex-Arsenal, Chelsea and Derby defender, who was not at court for the sentencing hearing on Friday, July 15.
"Those thoughts and images will never ever leave my mind and can pop up at any time." And he said the weapons, the threats, the physical damage to the house, are all still present. He always thought he was thick skinned but now he is more nervous about things that occur around him.
Watching a film now and seeing a person in a mask is no longer just a film - it is a reminder, a trigger, he said. The pictures of that night remain and impact everything for him.
Judge James Sampson told Dilks, a convicted burglar, said Dilks and his team had smashed their way into the home of Cole and his partner and tied them up and threatened to cut off Cole's finger with pliers. "You made him think he was going to die," added the judge. "You targeted him because of his perceived wealth."
Dilks was also part of a conspiracy to rob the home of former Tottenham and Derby midfielder Tom Huddlestone with co-defendants Cumberpatch and MacDonald when Huddlestone's wife was tied up at home alone.
Dilks was found guilty of 13 charges against him, including his role in a jewellery heist plot to steal a £3.5m tiara from the Harley Gallery, at the Welbeck Estate.
Following a 13-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court, gang members were found guilty on July 8. Cumberpatch, MacDonald and Dilks were all found guilty of conspiracy to burgle at the Harley Gallery, which they denied. This was an extensively-planned heist with military precision involving the theft of the historic Portland Tiara and diamond brooch from an armoured glass display.
The judge said the £3.75m haul was culturally priceless and described it as, "a heinous act on the country's heritage". The headline offence for both Cumberpatch and MacDonald (which also involved Dilks) was a conspiracy to rob a couple's home in Burton Avenue, Carlton. They wore masks and went in armed with knives and other weapons.
MacDonald cut part of the terrified householder's ear off and threatened to cut off his thumb. He was beaten and threatened with death before he was bundled into a car and taken to his mother's home where her jewellery and Rolex watch were stolen.
Cumberpatch's overall sentence was 24 years in jail and five years on extended licence, while MacDonald received 32 years - 27 years in prison and five on extended licence.
Cumberpatch, MacDonald and co-defendants Christopher Yorke, 49, of Rose Ash Lane, Arnold, Tevfik Guccuk, 39 of Houndsden Road, Southgate, London; and Sercan Evsin, 25, of Meadow Close, Barnett, were also found guilty of converting criminal property in relation to the stolen items. More than four million pounds worth of stolen property went through a Hatton Garden jewellers and only some of it has been recovered.
Yorke, a lorry driver, who was recruited to provide transport for MacDonald, received 12 months in prison, suspended for 21 months, with 21 hours of unpaid work. Guccuk and Evsin, both jewellers with no convictions, were sentenced to seven years and five years respectively.
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