Beeston gang couple jailed after 'reign of terror' robberies

Two members of a violent gang that carried out a string of robberies have been jailed.

Tracy Hepburn and Kenneth Bromfield were part of a four-strong gang that threatened and attacked its victims with imitation guns, knives and hammers in August 2020.

Police said the gang started its "reign of terror" in Nottingham before robbing others in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

The couple were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday.

Their accomplices, Logan Davies, now 21, and a 16-year-old boy who was not named due to his age, were sentenced for their involvement in September 2022.

Hepburn and Bromfield, both of Union Street, Beeston, Nottinghamshire, denied their involvement but were found guilty by a jury following a trial in 2023.

Among their victims was a man hit on the head with a fake gun, another who had two knives held to his stomach as he was robbed and a group of teenagers struck with hammers, Nottinghamshire Police said.

The force said Bromfield acted as the driver, transporting his accomplices between the five incidents, which all happened in the space of 24 hours.

Officers found hammers, face coverings and clothing they were seen wearing in CCTV, when they raided the couple's home.

Hepburn, 47, was found guilty of 16 offences in connection with the crime spree, including robbery, attempted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm.

She was also convicted of assaulting a police officer in a separate incident in November 2022.

A jury found 67-year-old Bromfield guilty of 11 similar offences, which included possessing a bladed article and an offensive weapon.

He was also convicted of possessing a bladed article after being stopped by police in Beeston in May 2020.

Det Con Natasha Ullyatt said she had "never come across anything like this case" in her 10 years of policing.

Hepburn was jailed for 14 years and Bromfield was sentenced to 12 years behind bars.

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