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PETROL BOMB ATTACK
Crime boss firebombed home of his own three-year-old daughter to scare ex off giving evidence in court
SHOCKING footage shows two members of a five-strong gang creep onto a driveway and petrol bomb a car just metres from where the ringleader's daughter slept.
Stephen Probert has been jailed for 10 years over the firebomb attack at the home of his three-year-old girl, which he ordered to intimidate her mum into not giving evidence against him.
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Probert, 40, tried to "petrify" witnesses including ex-partner Ms Thomas to stop them attending court for his gang's trial.
The mob set fire to a string of cars worth over £20,000 at a family dealership in a bid to stop the mum giving evidence against them, a court heard.
When that failed Probert's gang upped the ante and petrol-bombed a car on the driveway of her house in Cefn Forest, South Wales.
Cardiff Crown Court heard how Probert, Beman and Davies were on trial in February for a variety of offences, including the organised theft of vehicles and defrauding victims.
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Ms Thomas was due to be a key witness in the trial.
Prosecutor Timothy Evans said: "(The bombing was) clearly meant to intimidate Sandra Thomas, to make her fear for her life, and the lives of her family, and to persuade her to think again about court.
"She immediately went to check the safety of her children and move them away from the front of the house.
"She constantly thinks about what would have happened if the car had exploded or the fire spread to their home."
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Probert and Evan Beman, 39, Cameron Davies, 24, Callum Mogford, 20, and Damian Winnett, 22, admitted the plot to start fires to terrify witnesses.
They were jailed for a total of 26 years.
Probet was jailed for 10 years, Beman, six years, Davies, four, Mogford, three years and eight months, and Winett was handed a two-year sentence.
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Mr Evans had told the court: "They went to extreme lengths to try to petrify central witnesses into not attending court.
"They were violent, selfish, intimidating and outrageously dangerous.
"They consider themselves above the law to interfere in and to fundamentally undermine the proper process of the trial."
Mr Evans said an earlier attack targeted Ms Thomas by firebombing cars at her new partner's family business Cars R Us in Aberdare, Wales.
He said: "The car business is owned by Emlyn Cox and managed by his son Jamie Cox, who is the partner of Sandra Thomas.
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Mr Evans added: "Another member of the Cox family is Karen Cox.
"She was also meant to be an important witness against Probert at his trial
"The intention plainly was to terrify those two potential witnesses and pervert the course of the trial."
All five gang members, from Gwent, South Wales, had pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by setting fire to cars.
Probert, of Treowen, near Newbridge, and Beman, of Pontypool, also pleaded guilty to two more charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice including the intimidation of police witnesses.
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Cardiff Crown Court heard one the the "above the law" gang's victims included former police officer Neil Passmore who had investigated them over a car fraud plot.
But he found out they were trying to track down his home address after recordings of them speaking on a prison phone were handed to him.
In a statement, he said: "I have absolutely no doubt that they have located my address and did so in order to cause my family, my property and myself harm.
"I can remember the sense of fear and panic I had when I listened to the recording and thoughts racing through my mind as to what to do to protect my family."
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