Two men have been jailed for robbery and kidnap offences after they targeted lone women and a schoolgirl walking in Swanley.
On 6 November 2018, Jordan Godfrey and Brett Parker were travelling in a stolen Ford Focus when they approached several females in quick succession, under the pretence they were seeking directions.
The first woman was approached at 8am. She was offered a lift when the car stopped next to her but walked away.
Teenage girl
Minutes later, the vehicle pulled up next to a teenage girl walking in London Road. The child was asked to get into the car to give directions and when she refused was followed. The men only drove away after she pretended to make a phone call.
At around 8.30am, a woman heading towards the train station was then targeted. After the car blocked a footpath in front of her, Parker grabbed her arm and tried to force her inside. The victim resisted and managed to make her way to safety.
Violence
Godfrey and Parker then drove to a nearby private car park, where they collided with a stationary vehicle.
The men saw two women trying to take photos on their phones of the damage and began screaming at them to hand over the devices.
Godfrey put his arm around the neck of one of the women and dragged her to the floor. They eventually fled and the stolen Ford Focus was later abandoned in Maidstone and recovered by police.
Forensic examination of the vehicle and clothing it contained identified both offenders. Parker’s DNA was also recovered from the coat belonging to the victim he had tried to pull into their car.
Trial
The men were arrested and charged and the case went to trial at Maidstone Crown Court.
Parker, 28, from Dagenham, Essex, was found guilty of attempted robbery and attempted kidnap. On Monday 20 February 2023, he was sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment (to be served concurrently with another prison sentence for an unrelated case).
Godfrey, 30, from Romford, Greater London was convicted of attempted robbery. He was jailed for two years and six months.
Psychological scars
Detective Constable Hayley Campbell, of West Kent CID, said: ‘The intentions of Godfrey and Parker in trying to encourage and force females into their car remain unclear. However, there can be no doubt that their actions will have caused panic and genuine fear to each and every person who they targeted and approached.
.‘As a police force, we remain determined to do all we can to ensure women feel as safe as possible when they are out and about. Everyone should be able to go about their everyday lives without fear of harassment or assault.
‘The victims in this case will sadly bear the psychological scars of these incidents for a very long time, but I do hope they will also be very proud of the courage they have shown in helping us ensure both these men have now been convicted and rightly sentenced to prison.’