Victim’s diamond earrings wrenched out her ears and watch torn of her wrist

Two Queen’s Park men have been jailed for their role in a vicious robbery where a woman was attacked on her own doorstep.

Patrick O’Brien, 21, of Galton Street, and Sean Murphy, 30, of Ilbert Street, attacked the victim, who is in her 50s, as she put her keys into the front door of her home in Radlett, Hertfordshire.

Kingston Crown Court heard O’Brien and Murphy teamed up 27-year-old Anthony Roberts, from Harrow and Peter Meredith, 35, from Radlett, to carry out the robbery in August last year.

Three of the men pushed the woman to floor, held a hand over her mouth before wrenching her diamond earrings from her ears, tearing the watch from her wrist and snatching her handbag.

They fled in a car driven by Meredith.

O’Brien and Roberts were also found guilty of robbing Travelodge in Acton, west London in January last year.

The pair were part of a four-strong gang that stormed the budget hotel and threatened to shot a worker and stab another employee before emptying the hotel’s till and safe.

The gang fled in a stolen Audi A4.

Last week O’Brien and Roberts was sentenced to eight years for carrying out both robberies.

Murphy was jailed for six-and-a-half years and Meredith six, for their part in the attack in Radlett.

Meredith received six years for the Radlett robbery.

Detective Constable Dan Mitchell, investigating officer, said: “These were frightening experiences for the victims in both incidents.

“This demonstrates that Anthony Roberts in particular, who thought that there was some kind of kudos in commercial robbery is in fact no more than a street robber who has shown himself willing to attack on a women in her 50’s as she made her way into her own home.

“The sentences given to him, and his associates, reflects this.”