Pair convicted after posting videos of their crimes on social media

Two men who filmed themselves threatening, assaulting and stealing from several victims have been convicted.

In the early hours of 21 November last year, police received a report that several men had attended an open party at an address in North Kilworth which had been advertised on Snapchat.

Shortly after arriving the group – led by Richile Vangu, 20 – began threatening attendees with a knife. He demanded they hand over designer clothing and forced them to transfer money. Trying to exert control over them, Vangu even forced some of the victims to dance for him, which another man filmed on a mobile phone.

When some victims told Vangu they could not each transfer £1,000 – the sum he initially demanded – to him, they were told to go to an address in Bath Lane later the same day to pay.

On the afternoon of 21 November, some of those who had been at the party went to Bath Lane, where they did transfer money. However, while inside the property Vangu fired a BB gun at them and repeatedly whipped one of the victims with a belt. Some of the group were also punched repeatedly.

This too was filmed by one of the group and uploaded to social media.

When a woman inside the address told Vangu police were en-route, Vangu and his associates ran from the property before officers arrived.

During the investigation, officers were told that Vangu was known on TikTok as ‘Trixta’ and, following further enquiries, he was arrested at an address in London on 27 November.

During the ongoing investigation, officers found those who had been with him were Oluwatobiloba Akinrinola, and two others who were then arrested between 3 and 15 December.

Today (Friday 19 June), following a trial at Leicester Crown Court two men were found guilty of their crimes.

Vangu, of Bowes Road in Southgate, London, has been found guilty of all 15 counts he was indicted for: four counts of robbery relating to the events in North Kilworth; six counts of blackmail at the same location; four counts of blackmail at the events in Bath Lane; and one count of actual bodily harm (ABH) on a victim in Bath Lane.

He pleaded guilty to ABH on a second victim in Bath Lane at a previous hearing.

Akinrinola, of Slippers Place in Southwark, London, has been found guilty of: six counts of blackmail at the North Kilworth event and three counts of the same charge at Bath Lane; four counts of robbery in North Kilworth; and, two counts of ABH on two victims in Bath Lane.

He has been found not guilty of one count of blackmail.

The pair are due to be sentenced at the same court on Monday 27 July.

Detective Constable DC Adam Battley, the officer in the case, said: “It’s been apparent throughout the investigation and court case that none of the gang had any care or concern for those who they’d caused harm.

“They thought they were above the law and could bully and exploit others for their own gain. The fact that they even filmed themselves carrying out their crimes and posted some videos on social media shows that they thought their actions didn’t matter.

“Rather than accept that what’d they’d done amounted to serious criminal offences, they pleaded not guilty and took the case to trial.

“I hope today’s outcome provides the victims with a sense of justice that those who caused significant harm – and could well have gone on to do the same to others – are now going to spend time in prison.”

• Two other men, both 19, were arrested and charged with offences in connection with this incident, but were found not guilty on all counts.