One of the capital’s most prolific phone thieves has been sent to prison after video evidence helped jail him.
Sonny Stringer, 28, who stole 24 mobile phones in a single morning, has been sentenced to two years in prison.
He was intercepted by City of London Police officers as he and an unknown accomplice rode into the City at speed on electric motorbikes on March 26.
The first report came in at roughly 11.15am when a woman on Blackfriars Bridge had her iPhone 15 snatched from her hand and City of London officers used the CCTV network to track Stringer down to Fetter Lane where he evaded a marked police car and cut across a pedestrian crossing at almost 50mph narrowly missing members of the public.
He was eventually stopped when a trained police driver made “tactical contact” with the back of his bike near Bank Junction with CCTV showing him about to mount the pavement into the direction of a family pushing a buggy.
Stringer came off his bike and attempted to run away. He was seen throwing away a bag, later found to contain 22 phones, before his arrest and two more were dropped during the chase.
He was quickly arrested. Stringer threw a black faraday bag, away from him. The bag contained 22 mobile phones. A further two phones had been dropped when the tactical contact was made.
It was quickly reported to the police; control officers picked up the criminals on the City’s camera network and directed officers to begin searching for them.
Chief Superintendent William Duffy said: “Phone snatching has a significant impact on victims and it is right that Stringer received a custodial sentencing for snatching mobiles on London’s streets.
“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.
“We’d urge people to be aware of their surroundings when using their mobile phones on the street. Limit the opportunities for criminals to target you by reducing the number of times you have your phones out while in the street.”
Stringer received 20 months to run concurrently for each of the theft charges. He was also given an additional four months for dangerous driving. Sentencing took place at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday August 8.
