Detectives lift lid on complex investigation which brought violent offenders to justice

Digital detectives have lifted the lid on their skilful and painstaking work which unlocked the case and brought a violent gang to justice after they stabbed a man causing life-changing injuries during a drug-related burglary in Nottingham.

In one pivotal moment, DC Chris Bostock, the officer in the case, managed to crack one of the masked attackers’ phones by zooming in on CCTV footage as 24-year-old Jaekwon Marks entered the passcode while in a chicken restaurant in Corby, Northamptonshire.

Another key piece of evidence was gathered when a drone captured footage of 21-year-old Andre Saunders-Johnson throwing a mobile phone out of a bedroom window into a neighbouring garden when officers executed a warrant at an address in Birmingham.

Meticulous mobile phone work, use of cell site and GPS location data to map the offenders’ movements, extensive checks of CCTV footage and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, fast-track forensic work, effective use of drones, and the diligent work of response officers at the scene were all key parts of the massively complex police investigation to track down the knifemen.

The 19-year-old victim suffered a six-centimetre wound to his neck and needed lifesaving surgery after the gang burst into his home in Keys Close, Bulwell, and attacked him on the night of 1 February 2023. 

His life was only saved by several emergency surgeries and blood transfusions, however he was left with irreparable life-changing injuries.

Detective Inspector Jon Kerry, of Nottinghamshire Police, who led the investigation, said:

“This case was a proper old-fashioned whodunit right from the outset. Our investigation involved a monumental one-team approach to track down and catch those responsible.

“Drone team footage gave us a bird’s eye view of the offence location and following tenacious work by officers at the scene, we quickly found two knives which had been dumped in a bin next to an underpass about 150 yards away.

“No suspects were located but we managed to get the knives to the lab the next day.

"Our first breakthrough came a few days later when we got a DNA match for one of the offenders – 20-year-old Kyarnie Thompson – whose DNA was found on the sheath of one of the knives. A warrant was obtained, and Thompson was arrested at his home address in Nottingham.”

Whilst Thompson did not participate in the attack, it was revealed the ‘seeds’ of the burglary plot came from him due to a ‘drug debt he couldn’t meet’. He gave the victim’s address to the others and phone data also linked him to the crime. 

DI Kerry added:

“After checking CCTV we knew a Peugeot car was involved in the incident. Images showed it had a rear light which was not working.

"DC Chris Bostock noticed the car had an unusual sticker in its window and he went through hundreds if not thousands of rear images of cars to try and identify the vehicle.

“Further ANPR inquiries led to the car being identified and it was subsequently found abandoned in Cornwall.”

No stone was left unturned during the investigation and following detailed mobile phone and intelligence work the net was soon closing on the other knifemen – Jaekwon Marks and 25-year-old Jawon Thomas.

They were detained after running from a vehicle which had been stopped by police in Kettering, Northamptonshire, on 11 February 2023. DNA evidence found on one of the knives linked Thomas to the crime and indicated he had been in contact with the weapon. 

Further investigative work, including analysis of telephone evidence, vehicle movements, and CCTV evidence, connected two women to the Keys Close incident - 25-year-old Mollie Croft and 41-year-old Lucy Hefford. 

Hefford transported the main offenders to and from the scene of the crime. Phone data also showed she had been in contact with the attackers. 

Croft booked a taxi for Thomas and Marks to take them to Kettering following the stabbing. She also deleted footage from a CCTV system at her home in Charlock Close, Top Valley, Nottingham, which had been used by the offenders as a meeting point before and after the knife attack.

All five offenders were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (12 April 2024). 

DI Kerry added:

“Reflecting on the investigation now, it was a real team effort which involved so much dedication and motivation by all those involved.

“We never missed an arrest. Everything we wanted to happen, when we needed it to happen, went in our favour.

“It was back breaking work to make sure we had everything boxed off to ensure these offenders would be brought to justice in court.

“We also worked innovatively to provide a 360-degree virtual viewing of the offence location, giving a walkthrough and mapping out the house as it was, as a visually impactive aid in this case.

“The mere fact all the offenders pleaded guilty highlights the quality of our investigation and how effective it was set out for all to see in its evidential format, enabling those pleas to be secured without having to go to trial. 

“I’d like to commend the investigation team and the efforts of all within Nottinghamshire Police and further afield who contributed to what was a real team effort to tie everything together.”

Marks, of Church Green, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, Thomas, formerly of Eastbrook, Corby, Northamptonshire, and Saunders-Johnson, formerly of Wensleydale Road, Birmingham, were each jailed for 10 years and nine months after pleading guilty to wounding with intent and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. 

Thompson, formerly of Cedar Road, Hyson Green, was locked up for seven years and two months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.

Hefford, formerly of Church Walk, Corby, Northamptonshire, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.

Croft was handed an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to assisting an offender.