Man denies Tube robberies

The leader of a gang of train robbers was trapped by police when he answered a call on a stolen pager, an Old Bailey court was told yesterday. Leroy Fearon, who is accused of leading an armed gang which terrorised passengers on the London Underground, decided to use his home phone to respond to a message left on the bleeper by a detective.

The officer then dialled 1471 to get the number, and traced it to an address in Kilburn, north-west London, where Mr Fearon, was arrested. The prosecution alleges that Mr Fearon, 18, and his accomplices used the threat of a shotgun, pistol, and knives to demand money and valuables during a crime spree on the Metropolitan Line last spring. Mr Fearon denies the charge and the case continues.