City of London: Man jailed for snatching 24 phones in an hour

A man who used an electric motorbike to steal 24 phones in an hour has been jailed for two years.

Sonny Stringer, 28, from Islington, north London, previously admitted stealing the phones as he drove his electric bike at speeds of almost 50mph (80km/h).

Stringer and an unknown accomplice rode into the City of London at speed on electric motorbikes on 26 March and the string of phone snatchings took place between 10:00 and 11:15 BST.

“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,” said Ch Supt William Duffy, from City of London Police.

“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.”

During the thefts, Stringer and his accomplice evaded a marked police car and cut across a pedestrian crossing, narrowly missing one member of the public, while another had to run to avoid being hit.

Stringer was about to mount a pavement in the direction of a family pushing a buggy when officers made contact with the rear wheel of his bike, police said.

This brought the chase to an end as Stringer came off his bike. He attempted to run away, but he was arrested by police shortly after.

Stringer threw away a bag, which contained 22 mobile phones, while two other phones had been dropped when his bike was rammed.

He was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday to 20 months in prison to run concurrently for each of the theft charges plus an additional four months for dangerous driving.