Two Men Jailed After Falsely Accusing Teens of Robbery in Stamford Hill
Delivery Driver and Watchmen Duped Police with Fake Robbery Claims
Two men have been handed jail sentences for falsely accusing two teenagers of trying to steal a moped in Stamford Hill. Thiago Alves, 38, from Pretoria Road, N18, and Michael Scher, 32, from Amhurst Park, N16, both admitted perverting the course of justice. Alves was sentenced to eight months behind bars, while Scher got a five-month sentence, suspended for two years. A third man, Yaakov Nowogrodski, 27, also charged in the case, skipped court and is now wanted by police.
The Sham Robbery That Almost Got Teenagers Locked Up
On the evening of July 3, 2017, police received several calls that two boys aged 13 and 15 were being held for robbery by the Shomrim, a local community watch group. The claim was that the teens tried to snatch Alves’ moped by surrounding him, demanding keys, and pushing him. Alves, a delivery driver, together with Scher and Nowogrodski—both members of the Shomrim—backed this story with sworn statements. The two youths were arrested at the scene and detained for 16 hours despite their clean records.
CCTV Footage Exposes the Fake Crime
Detectives digging deeper uncovered CCTV footage that blew the whole story apart. The boys were nowhere near Alves, never pushed him, nor attempted to steal the moped. They were quickly released, and an investigation into the false accusations began. Alves was arrested on July 6, with Scher and Nowogrodski following on July 12. Charges of perverting the course of justice were laid, alongside false imprisonment allegations. Nowogrodski fled the country and remains at large with a warrant for his arrest.
Police Slam ‘Disgraceful’ Abuse of Justice System
Detective Sergeant James Leeks of the Central East Command Unit blasted the pair responsible:
“The officers who attended that night acted in good faith but were deceived by a deliberate criminal conspiracy. It is regrettable that two young men were arrested and detained. Their arrest and loss of liberty would have been traumatic for them and their families.”
He added:
“Thankfully, the investigating officers found CCTV evidence that cleared these young men. If not, we could have seen a gross miscarriage of justice. Why these men fabricated this case may never be known but abusing the justice system like this is disgraceful. They will now face the consequences.”
This case highlights the dangers of false accusations and the vital role of diligent police work in protecting innocent lives.
