Thief gave £15,000 from bag snatch to homeless friends

♦ A homeless man stole £25,000 from a City worker and handed it out among his destitute friends.

Charlie Morgan, 27, took Gareth Tungatt’s rucksack when its owner put it down while smoking outside the Doubletree Tower of London Hotel, the Old Bailey was told. The bag contained several items as well as £25,000 in cash, to pay for home renovations. When Morgan was arrested later just £9,600 was left.

Jailing the thief for 12 months, Judge John Hillen said: “A lot of what was stolen was gone. You had spread that between a couple of your friends who are street-dwellers.”

Morgan, of no fixed address, had 46 convictions, including 28 for theft.