A thief was caught on CCTV rifling through a wallet he had just stolen from an elderly and deaf woman on the London Underground. The shocking incident took place at Westminster Underground station, where Liam McGuicken targeted the 80-year-old victim.
The footage shows McGuicken, who has no fixed address, pushing the woman against the handrail on the escalator and reaching into her coat to steal her wallet. Moments later, he is seen on another escalator, casually going through the contents of the stolen wallet.
McGuicken has now been sentenced to one year and four months in prison. Inner London Crown Court heard that the incident occurred on April 15 earlier this year.
The victim was travelling down the escalators towards the platform when McGuicken approached her. Her companion, who was also deaf, was ahead of her on the escalator and completely unaware of what was happening behind them.
The court heard how McGuicken pinned the elderly woman against the handrail by placing his hands on her chest. Unable to hear what he was saying, the terrified victim turned her face away.
McGuicken then reached into her coat pocket, stole her wallet, and quickly got off the escalator. He immediately got back on the escalator going up, where he was filmed rifling through the stolen wallet.
McGuicken was finally arrested a month later at Sutton railway station in South London. He was stopped by Met Police officers in connection with a fare evasion issue. He pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and has now been sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Detective Inspector Alan Judd, from the British Transport Police, stated that McGuicken had intentionally targeted his elderly victim. He said: “McGuicken sickeningly targeted an elderly deaf woman as she was making her way through the station, cowardly choosing to target a vulnerable woman for his own gain. I’m very pleased with the result, and I sincerely hope McGuicken takes this opportunity to change.”
He added: “His conviction sends a strong message that robbery will not be tolerated on the railway network. We take all reports of robbery extremely seriously, and would urge anyone who was the victim of a robbery or who witnessed one to contact us. You can speak to a member of staff or to an officer, call us on 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016.”
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