Three men have been jailed for a petrol bomb attack on a Coldharbour Lane garage.
Carlos Pereira (33), of Meopham Road, Mitcham, Victor Silva (24), of Tulse Hill, and Antonio Ferreira (19), of Loughborough Estate, Brixton, were sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on Friday, October 10 after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson.
Pereira and Silva were both sentenced to four-and-a-half years, with Ferreira being sentenced to four years.
The petrol bomb attack, which took place on November 21 2012 caused extensive damage to the garage, under the Coldharbour Lane railway arches in Brixton.
The court heard how Silva and Ferreira used home-made petrol bombs to carry out the attack, while Pereira – who ran a rival car garage – was the ‘ringleader’ who co-ordinated the attack from home.
Detective Constable Michael Stephenson, said: “This was a premeditated attack motivated by a long-running feud between rival businessmen.
“A neighbour called the fire brigade after smoke was seen coming from the car garage at around 2am.
“Firefighters became suspicious of the cause when Silva arrived on the scene shortly after they’d extinguished the blaze and began questioning them over the damage. He was arrested hours later.”
Silva was released on bail, and the trio were finally charged on in 2013, when CCTV evidence and mobile phone data came to light.
All three men denied the offences during questioning and at court.
DC Stephenson added: “Today’s sentence sends a clear message that such wanton criminal damage will not be tolerated. These men have been brought to justice almost two years after their actions devastated a family business.”
