January 11, 2010
Joint Major Crime Unit Secures Nearly 500 Years Of Custodial Sentences In One Year
Last year was a busy year for the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit (BHMCU) – but a successful one with nearly 500 years of imprisonment handed down to convicted offenders.
In 2009 sentences handed out by the courts totalled 488 years and eight months for BHMCU cases.
Detective Superintendent Mick Hanlon, who is in charge of the unit said: “With the two forces working together, we have been able to deliver an efficient and resilient policing service to communities in both Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and achieve some outstanding results. I am very proud of all the officers and staff and thank them for all their dedication and hard work.”
Cases in Bedfordshire include:
Operation Brindle - the case of two Polish brothers Waldemar Markuszewski, 43, and Andrzej Markuszewski, 46, who were murdered at their home in Dunsmore Road, Luton, in May 2005. Remigiusz Piotrowski, 24 and Marek Miazga, 41, of Brook Street, Luton, were found guilty of murder after two separate trials. They were both given life sentences with a minimum of 25 years each.
Op Prez - Jashbhai Patel, owner of Moons Newsagents, in Park Street, Luton, was stabbed repeatedly on 14 June 2009. Richard Dettmer, 39, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to murder and Judge John Bevan QC sentenced him to life in prison and said he must serve a minimum of 31 years and six months.
Operation Rebel - Noel Smith was murdered in Bedford on 31 January 2009 after receiving fatal head injuries when he was attacked in the street in Rutland Road. Adrian Cybula, 23, of Old Ford End Road, Bedford and Piotr Pustelnik, 28, of Queensbury Close, Bedford, were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. The two Polish men must serve a minimum of 15 years each.
Op Saltus - six offenders who undertook a series of armed robberies at Argos shops throughout the region during 2007 and 2008 were sentenced to 97 years in total.
Operation Spiric - Karl Oakley, 23, of Trent Road, Luton, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the manslaughter of Taylor Burrows, in Enderby Road, Luton, on 21 February 2009. He will serve a minimum of 15 years after his plea to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility was accepted by the Crown.
Op Stratus - Zahir Ahmed, 34, of Selborune Road, Luton, was sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment for murdering Czech National Klara Prokopcova, who was found with serious injuries at her home in
John Street, Luton, in November 2007.
The BHMCU was established in November 2007, with the objective of improving resilience and response to major crimes across the two counties and has been heralded as a ‘groundbreaking initiative’ by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
It tackles cases of murder, manslaughter, work-related deaths, product contaminations, hit and runs, extortion, kidnap and blackmail. It also contains the Cold Case Review Unit which looks at unsolved cases and conducts regular reviews of evidence.
Peter Conniff, Chair of Bedfordshire Police Authority, added: “Members of the public repeatedly tell us that they want assurance that criminals are being locked up for their crimes. These results show that the investment in the Major Crime Unit has led to a great many serious and violent criminals being locked up for a very long time, making the two counties safer as a result. These sentences are illustrative of the outstanding policing delivered by the unit.”
For further information visit the BHMCU website.
