Mark Cavendish robbers must repay £754,000 after Essex raid

Masked intruders who held Olympic cyclist Mark Cavendish at knifepoint as they robbed his house must repay more than £750,000 or face six extra years in prison each.

Romario Henry, Ali Sesay and Jo Jobson broke into the athlete’s house in Ongar, Essex, while he and his family slept.

Two Richard Mille watches, valued at £400,000 and £350,000, are still missing after the raid on 27 November 2021, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

The jailed robbers were told their sentences would be extended if they did not pay £754,525 within three months.

The gang, who covered their faces with balaclavas during the robbery, also stole three phones, worth £2,325, an empty safe and a £2,200 Louis Vuitton suitcase.

They repeatedly punched Sir Mark, who was in bed with his wife, Peta, upon entering his bedroom.

Judge Alexander Mills said the trio took “joint control” of the stolen property and “obtained the benefit that flowed” from the robbery.

He said the watches were “never located at the scene and have not been seen since”, despite Henry claiming they had been sold.

They were luxury items that would not depreciate, but instead act as a “store of wealth”, Judge Mills said.

“I don’t accept it was inevitable that they were sold,” he added.

The judge said they were “clearly in it together” and that each defendant benefited financially from the break-in.

Judge Mills said 28-year-old Jobson, who was convicted of robbery, was paid £4,000 to take part.

“He was promised a further £6,000 on completion, but this was never paid to him,” the judge added.

Analysing the defendants’ finances, Judge Mills said Sesay owned a £1,000 Mercedes and £24,740 in cash, while Henry had no assets.

Jobson had an unspecified amount of money in a bank account, which was seized alongside Sesay’s goods.

The judge said the £754,525 sum could be paid off by any of the defendants.

He also ordered £1,897 to be paid in compensation to Sir Mark and £3,359 to Mrs Cavendish, as well as an unspecified amount to a company that leased the watches to them.

Henry, 34, of Bell Green, Lewisham, south London, was found guilty of two robbery offences after a trial in 2023, while 30-year-old Sesay, of Holding Street, Rainham, Kent, admitted the same offences.

They were jailed for 15 and 12 years respectively.

Jobson, 28, of no fixed abode, went on the run after the break-in. He was given a 15-year prison term after a separate trial.