A serial phone snatcher was finally snared after making off with 24 phones in one day on his E-bike. He targeted busy areas such as Oxford Street, Regent Street, Victoria, and Blackfriars Bridge.
Sonny Stringer, 28, from Islington, appeared at Isleworth Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday, June 4), having stolen up to nine in just an hour. Stringer pleaded guilty to 10 thefts.
Stringer’s spree came to an end on March 26 after a woman had her phone snatched at around 11.15am, with an unnamed accomplice. A swift report was made to the police, who hunted Stringer via the City’s camera network.
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He also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance. He received an interim driving ban, effective from today. He pleaded not guilty to a robbery charge and the prosecutor said no evidence would be submitted in relation to that offence. Stringer will be sentenced on Thursday, August 8.
On Fetter Lane in Farringdon, both Stringer and his accomplice made their getaway from a police car, hitting speeds of nearly 50mph as they cut across a pedestrian crossing, narrowly missing a member of the public, while another had to run to avoid being run over.
Road Police Officers PC Jordan Smith and PC Joe Little were listening in on the radio and driving towards the phone thieves as the force hunted Stringer. PC Smith took Stringer out by making ‘tactical contact’ on the rear wheel of Stringer’s Surron electric bike, knocking him to the ground.
CCTV released showed the importance of this decision as Stringer was about to mount the pavement into the direction of a pram. But this didn’t stop desperate Stringer frantically trying to escape, who only surrendered after being threatened with a Taser.
As his spree came to an end, Stringer threw a black Faraday bag, which contained 22 phones. The bag blocks electromagnetic waves from phones, preventing people from tracking down the item.
Another two had been dropped when the tactical contact was made.
Timeline of thefts
At around 10.15am on Baker Street, London, near the Tube station, a woman had her phone snatched as she waited to cross the road. It was returned to her at Bishopsgate Police Station.
Then 15 minutes later by Marble Arch at around 10.30am on Edgware Road, London, another woman was using her mobile which was snatched from her grasp. It was given back to her at Bishopsgate Police Station the next day.
At around 10.40am, at Regent Street, London, a man was using his phone to take a photo of a post office receipt when a man on a motorbike pushed him in the chest and then snatched the phone from his hand. However, the victim was contacted at around 9pm and was told the phone had been recovered, which he collected the next day.
At around 10.40am Orange Street in Covent Garden at the junction with Haymarket, a woman’s phone was taken from her left hand while she was using it. She recovered it from the City of London Police.
Between 10.00am and 11.00am, on Cromwell Place, South Kensington, a man had his phone taken from his grasp while using it. He also alleged the thief was armed with a knife brandished. He rang his phone at about 3pm and was told by the police that it was at a police station. He collected his phone the next day.
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Similarly, a man was taking a photo with his phone between 10.30am and 11.00am on Grosvenor Place, near Hyde Park, when a man hit the phone out of the victim’s hand and caught it. City of London Police officers gave this phone back.
Before 11.15am, on Victoria Road, Westminster, a man was using his phone at a pedestrian crossing when it was stolen. He collected it from Bishopsgate Police Station the next day.
Before 11.15am, at Piccadilly, near the junction with Regent Street a man was heading towards Green Park whilst using his phone, when it was snatched from his grasp.
A woman had her phone snatched from her hand when she was standing on Blackfriars Bridge at around 11.15am. She reported this to City of London Police and officers began their manhunt.
‘Phone snatching has a significant impact on victims’
Chief Superintendent Rob Atkin MBE said: “The successful capture and prosecution of a prolific phone snatcher shows City of London Police’s focus on detecting and bringing to justice those who steal from people on our streets. This was a team effort from our control team following the criminals on CCTV and communicating with officers on the ground, to response officers making risk-critical decisions to protect the public and effect an arrest.
“Not forgetting our investigators tracking down victims from across London, returning valuable mobile phones and ensuring a guilty verdict. Phone snatching has a significant impact on victims and our key priority has been to reduce the number of phones stolen and relentlessly target those criminals responsible.”
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