Judges rule gang of four were given ‘unduly lenient’ sentences

Four members of a professional burglary gang have had their prison sentence increased by the Court of Appeal.

Scott Logan, 23, of Westcroft Close, Cricklewood, Charles Johnstone, 24, of Iverson Road, Kilburn, Michael Edgar, 22, from Edgware and Kane Franzese, 21, from Hendon, were sentenced to a total of 14 years and nine months for conspiracy to commit burglary.

They were sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court in August.

Yesterday, the Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, sitting in London with two other judges, agreed with Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC that their original custodial terms were “unduly lenient”.

Lord Judge said that in two of a number of well-planned and organised raids the gang - who carried out domestic burglaries “mob-handed” to steal “high value” property - had used “terrifying violence” on householders.

Logan had his sentence upped from five to eight years; Johnstone from three years three months to five-and-a half years; Edgar from three years four months to four-and-a-half years and Franzese from three years two months to five-and-a-half years.

Lord Judge said: “Young as they were, there is no avoiding it - this was a gang of professional burglars.

“Apart from wearing helmets and balaclavas and so on, the very fact that so many went into these premises was part of the design to intimidate and frighten if anybody happened to be in the house.”

They smashed doors and ransacked houses and were also prepared to use serious violence in the homes they burgled.

Lord Judge said the court did not have the “slightest doubt” that if anyone had been at home during the other burglaries they would have been at “serious risk” of being subjected to grave physical violence.

The original sentences imposed on gang before the court were “undoubtedly unduly lenient”.