Brothers Deported For Southsea Robberies

Two brothers from Latvia convicted of separate robberies on Southsea seafront are to be deported.

Janis and Kaspars Kozevnikovs targeted their victims within moments of each other in February last year.

The elder brother, Janis, 22, pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Kaspars, 20, was found guilty last month and was jailed yesterday (Thursday, October 28) for three and a half years.

As a result of their convictions, both will be returned to Latvia once they have served their time in prison.

The brothers’ first victim, John Brymer, 41, was pushing his bike along Clarence Esplanade just before midnight on Wednesday, February 25, 2009.

He was approached by a group of men including Kaspars and Janis who assaulted him, held him to the floor and stole from him a packet of cigarettes.

Minutes after the offenders left, Brymer heard a woman scream: “Help me. Help me.”

Elisa Sahner, 26, and her friend Dirk Gouverneur, 27, who were visiting the UK from Germany, were assaulted and robbed just yards away on Avenue De Caen.

They were out for a walk along the seafront and Gouverneur was forced to hand over his mobile phone.

Brymer and Sahner both called the police and from their initial enquiries officers identified four suspects including the Kozevnikovs brothers.

Detective Constable Toby Wilson from Portsmouth’s Priority Crime team said:

“The investigation involved a lot of CCTV work and use of forensics. We also flew Gouverneur and Sahner back from Germany to help with enquiries and for the identity parade.

“Janis only pleaded guilty as a result of the of the blood from Gouverneur that we found on his clothing and hands.

“The brothers were working as a part of a group of men who were out on a rampage that evening. We don’t know what caused them to do this and they have never explained their actions.

“Also, these are the only victims we know about so I would be interested to hear from anyone else who thinks they may have been targeted that evening.”

Of the remaining suspects, one man, 25, was released without charge, the other, 22 is wanted by the police.

DC Wilson continued: 

“Tackling robberies and bringing the offenders to justice remains a priority for police in Portsmouth. Enquiries are ongoing to trace our outstanding suspect who we believe has gone to Latvia.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact DC Wilson at Fratton police station on 101 or the anonymous Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.