RAYMOND BETSON, aged 40, of Marine View, St Mary Island, Chatham, a career criminal with previous convictions for burglary and theft in the 1970s and deception and handling stolen goods in the 1980s.

WILLIAM COCKRAM, aged 48, of Penberth Road, Catford, is a plumber with convictions for wounding (1973), burglary and theft (1985), shoplifting (1987) and handling stolen goods (1992).

ALDO CIARROCCHI, aged 32, of Balaclava Road, Bermondsey, rented out video and cigarette machines to pubs. He had previous convictions for shoplifting in 1992.

ROBERT ADAMS, aged 57, of no fixed address, was the mystery man who would not answer the police's questions. His previous convictions were for attempted murder of his wife in 1976 and being caught with a kilogramme of cocaine in Paris in 1984.

KEVIN MEREDITH, aged 35, of Auckland Drive, Brighton, is a charter skipper whose only brush with authorities was when he was caught watching TV without a licence.