Two men have been sentenced to a combined 27 years in prison for the knifepoint robbery at the family home of cyclist Mark Cavendish.
Cavendish's house was broken into by 31-year-old Romario Henry and 28-year-old Ali Sesay at approximately 2:30am on November 27, 2021, at which time the cyclist was recovering from broken ribs sustained in a crash in Ghent.
The 37-year-old was threatened with a knife while his wife and children were inside the house, and the two balaclava-wearing robbers stole a pair of Richard Mille watches worth a combined £700,000.
Henry, of south-east London, denied the two counts of robbery but was found guilty at a trial and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Sesay pleaded guilty to two counts and received a 12-year jail term.
Sentencing, Judge David Turner KC said that Henry and Sesay conducted a "ruthless" invasion of the Cavendish family home, stating: "This was planned, targeted, orchestrated, ruthless offending aimed at an internationally known sportsman and his wife who happened to be brand ambassadors for exceptionally valuable Richard Mille watches," as quoted by PA.
Cavendish has won a joint-high 34 Tour de France stages and also clinched Olympic silver in the omnium for Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Ben Knapton
