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Two men jailed over Encrochat arson attacks

|News

Two men who were part of a conspiracy using Encrochat to set fires to homes and cars in west London have been jailed. 

Lee Wood, 31 and Kyle Roberts, 31 worked together to set alight two homes in Hounslow and Greenford. 

They communicated through Encrochat – an encrypted messaging service – to carry out these arson attacks, which they hoped would help them evade police. 

A residential address in Stanley Road, Hounslow was targeted on 8 April 2020 just before 11pm. The occupant, a woman, was able to escape through a window, but the flat was left with extensive fire damage. 

Another home in Carr Road, Greenford was set alight along with a BMW and Mercedes that happened to be parked outside on 29 April before 11pm. An off-duty police officer was able to raise the alarm and get residents out quickly.

Luckily the fires did not result in injury but caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the homes and cars. 

Today (Friday, 8 July 2022) at Isleworth Crown Court, Wood was sentenced to seven years and three months in custody after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit arson, arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered and arson. Roberts was sentenced to 17 years nine months after pleading guilty to arson and in relation to additional drugs charges. 

A co-defendant, Lewis Steele, 27, will be sentenced at a later date after admitting conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

A further co-defendant, Kieron Endeley, 22, was previously sentenced after admitting arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for this and a separate firearms offence. 

Thomas Short, from the CPS, said: “These were unprovoked attacks on residential addresses that could have had dangerous and grave consequences for the intended targets and others. The victims could have been seriously injured or worse – killed. 

“The prosecution case included decoded Encrochat messages showing conversations between the defendants about the arson attacks, as well as CCTV footage and strong eye-witness testimony, which meant these men had little choice but to admit their crimes. 

“The CPS is committed to working with the police to root out organised crime groups and bring them to justice.”  

Notes to editors

  • Thomas Short is a Senior Crown Prosecutor within the Complex Casework Unit in CPS London South.
  • Lee Wood (DOB: 22/11/1990) is from Northolt.
  • Lewis Steele (DOB: 16/10/1994) is from Basingstoke.
  • Kyle Roberts (DOB: 14/12/1990) is from Southall.
  • Kieron Endeley (DOB: 17/2/200) is from Southampton. 

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