Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
End of the line for phone thief
‘CAREER CRIMINAL’ SNATCHED MOBILES FROM WOMEN TRAVELLING ALONE ON THE TUBE
A SERIAL phone snatcher who swiped 18 mobiles at London Underground stations targeting “lone women” has been jailed.
Mohamed Djiama, 28, of no fixed address, could be deported after his two-year prison sentence handed at Blackfriars Crown Court .
The thief used the Tube network, often late at night, to pinch mobile phones from unsuspecting victims, mostly lone women, who were travelling on Central Line or District Line services.
Between July 2017 and December 2017, Djiama would snatch his victims’ phones and then run off the train before they were able to stop him.
Djiama travelled on the London Underground network, targeting passengers who were using their phones.
Amongst his loot was a £819 Iphone 7 swiped at Marble Arch, a Samsung Galaxy 8 worth around £800 at Tottenham Court Road, plus a Louis Vitton handbag snatched at Bethnal Green.
And he struck at many more stations across London, including Shepherd’s Bush , St Pauls, Tower Hill, Whitechapel, Aldgate, Kilburn and Bank.
DC Owen Lynch, from British Transport Police (BTP), said: “Djiama is a career criminal who used the London Underground to target women travelling alone.
“His tactics were brazen, but his arrogance blinded him and he was caught by one of our officers at Stepney Green station.
“I am pleased he has been handed a custodial sentence meaning he is now unable to continue with his behaviour.
“We simply will not tolerate robberies such as this on the transport network and work hard to catch offenders. Thankfully we police a CCTV-rich environment which helps us enormously in identifying offenders and their tactics.
“We then use this to track them down and, in Djiama’s case, bring them before the courts. If you’re using the rail network to commit your crimes, it is only a matter of time before we find you.”
Djiama pleaded guilty to 18 counts of theft from a person and one count of attempted theft at Blackfriars Crown Court on February 23 and was given a 24-month prison sentence and ordered to pay £140 victim surcharge.
BTP detectives linked Djiama to all 19 offences after an investigation and he was arrested at Stepney Green station on January 25 after an officer spotted him while on patrol.
He was charged the next day with all 19 counts.
Steve Burton, Transport for London’s director of compliance and policing, said: “All of our customers have the right to travel without fear of crime and we are pleased to see the successful sentencing of this prolific thief.
“We continue to work with the police to keep the network a safe, low-crime environment.”