Builders with metal poles foil moped muggers
TV star Amanda Holden shares CCTV footage that shows robbers target a mother before help arrives
A GANG of moped thieves, who attempted to rob a mother walking along a London street with her child, were chased off by builders wielding scaffolding poles. CCTV footage of the incident, which was posted online by Amanda Holden, the Britain’s Got Talent judge, showed four people in dark clothing and helmets pull two mopeds into a narrow street off a busy Richmond road.
The two pillion passengers then got off the motorcycles and appeared to lay in wait for a target to come along. Despite the large amount of passing traffic on the busy road, the muggers then pounced on a woman who was walking along holding hands with a young child.
As they threatened her and attempted to grab her jewellery, the woman recoiled in terror and ran into the busy road. The muggers then fled emptyhanded and a lorry carrying scaffolding pulled up having witnessed the attack.
CCTV showed the woman, holding the child in her arms, in clear distress.
The driver and another occupant of the lorry then jumped down from the cab and, after grabbing scaffolding poles from the back, gave chase.
The thieves managed to escape and police have appealed for witnesses who may have been in the area at the time to come forward with any information that could help. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Police are investigating an attempted robbery in Richmond. Police were called at 12.35pm on Thursday June 21 after a woman was approached by four men on a black moped and motorbike who demanded her jewellery.
“They threatened her and a young child who was with her.
“No injuries were reported. No weapon was seen, although it was intimated.
“Members of the public went to the woman’s assistance and the suspects fled empty-handed. The suspects were all wearing black clothing.” Metropolitan Police statistics show that in the 12 months up to May this year, there have been 22,025 crimes by criminals on scooters – equivalent to 60 a day.
One teenager was recently believed responsible for seven moped robberies in just one hour.
Last month two moped robbers were jailed for life for the brutal and senseless murder of Abdul Samad, a charity worker who was killed even though he cooperated when he was targeted.
On Saturday, The Daily Telegraph revealed moped robbers were becoming “addicted” to the adrenalin rush of mugging people as they make up to £2,000 a day.
Two former moped gang members who targeted people in London have revealed how their crimes became a “habit” as they craved the high from “the thrill of the hunt and the thrill of the chase”.
The men, who used stolen mopeds for crime sprees from the age of just 12 or 13, also blamed so-called “drill” music, a hip-hop sub-genre which glamorises gang crime and materialism, for fuelling the surge in such robberies.
The pair said teenagers idolise the stars and creators of drill music who promote a “get rich quick” and violent lifestyle.
‘They threatened her and a young child who was with her. No injuries were reported’