A VIOLENT gang who ran an extortion racket in Hereford were today convicted by a jury at Worcester Crown Court.

The thugs demanded money to fix up jobs for Polish workers, then issued threats and turned to violence if the cash was not paid.

Convicted of conspiring to blackmail were four Hereford men, who all settled in the city from Poland.

They were: Krzysztof Wojcik, 28, of Marlowe Drive; Kamil Siegien, 30, of Coningsby Street; Michal Zubrzycki, 19, of Ledbury Road; Jaroslaw Wysiecki, 23, of Grenfell Road.

Zubrzycki was also found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Marcin Walus and cleared on the directions of the trial judge of a similar offence against Robert Szymezak.

The men were remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.

The jury is still deliberating on a charge of witness intimidation brought against Jolanta Witczak, 41, of Kingsway, Hereford.