Three individuals have pleaded not guilty to accusations of targeting women with CS spray during a robbery at Heathrow Airport, which police believe was linked to a gang. The incident resulted in over 20 people requiring medical attention. Tyrone Richards, aged 31, Anton Clarke-Butcher, aged 24, and Omoneke Whyte, aged 30, are accused of stealing two suitcases from separate women by using the noxious spray on them. Each faces charges of robbery, administering a harmful substance, and affray following the event on December 7 of the previous year.
After the assault, the Metropolitan Police reported that multiple individuals, including five who were hospitalized but later discharged, were impacted by the substance. Emergency services attended to 21 affected individuals, including a young child, who were exposed to the noxious spray in a parking facility at Terminal 3 of the airport.
CS spray, a synthetic chemical used by UK law enforcement for temporary incapacitation similar to pepper spray, was employed during the robbery. The trio is scheduled to stand trial at Isleworth Crown Court on June 29.
Richards and Clarke-Butcher made a prior appearance at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court where they confirmed their personal details. Prosecutor Rene De Silva presented identical facts for each defendant during the hearing, stating that they were apprehended in connection with a robbery where they allegedly played a significant role at Heathrow Airport on December 7.
De Silva highlighted that the defendants, in collaboration with others, utilized CS spray to carry out the theft of a suitcase, indicating a potential gang involvement in the incident.
