A thief who swiped a family’s suitcase as they travelled to the airport for a holiday has been jailed after a British Transport Police (BTP) probe.
Ayoub Alshirredi, 31, of Alexandra Road in Hounslow, was handed a 16-week prison sentence at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on 20 March. He had already admitted the offence at an earlier hearing.
The court was told the family boarded a train at London Bridge shortly after 2pm on 27 October, heading for Gatwick, and placed one of their bags in the overhead rack.
Alshirredi got on the same service and moved through the carriage before sitting beneath the luggage as the train approached East Croydon.
When the doors opened, he snatched the suitcase and got off, leaving the family unaware.
It was only when the train reached Gatwick that they realised the bag had vanished and alerted BTP.
Officers began enquiries and quickly identified Alshirredi as the suspect. He was arrested on 27 February and taken into custody.
Despite CCTV clearly capturing him taking the bag, he gave a no comment interview when questioned by police.
BTP Police Constable Imogen Gates said: "I'm pleased that the court have taken Alshirredi’s offending seriously and imposed a custodial sentence. His actions were self-serving and opportunistic, as he targeted a young family going on holiday.
“In thinking only about himself, he put the family through considerable anxiety and stress, so I hope that they can feel a sense of closure now justice has been served.
"We take every report seriously, and anyone who witnesses or is the victim of a crime on the railway is encouraged to report it by texting us on 61016."
