'Extremely violent' phone thieves on rampage stabbed 3 who tried to stop them
A pair of mobile phone snatchers 'rampaging to steal as many as possible' stabbed three members of the public as they tried to get away from one of their victims.
They have now been jailed for 17 years each after a sentencing at Inner London Crown Court. Tyrone Dean, 24, of Willow Walk, Tottenham, pleaded guilty to eight offences, including having an article with a blade or point, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, wounding with intent and theft.
Louis Parkinson, 26, of Catherall Road, Islington, pleaded guilty to five offences, including wounding with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and having an article with a blade or point. The shocking triple stabbing happened on October 6 last year, when Dean, on a bike, approached pedestrian Nicolas Badger on Bishopsgate, snatched a phone out of his hand and rode off, with Parkinson following behind on his bike, reports My London.
The victim shouted out alerting other members of the public who tried to stop the two men from getting away, resulting in a brawl in which three of the good Samaritans received stab wounds. Vladimros Konstanindis was stabbed twice in the chest and once in the back, Henry Charlton-Weedy was slashed in the face, requiring 50 stitches, and Alison Saunders was stabbed in the arm.
The incident was caught on CCTVDC David Holmes, of the Major Crime Team at the City of London Police, said: “Dean and Parkinson were on a rampage to steal as many phones as possible that morning, starting around the West End before ending up in the City of London. Neither hesitated to use extreme violence when challenged and are a clear risk to the public.
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“The actions of the members of the public were heroic and enabled us to collect vital evidence at the scene to assist with this investigation. We want to stress that knives and weapons used in phone snatchings are very rare. However, your safety is extremely important: should you be a victim of, or witness, a phone snatching, call 999 immediately.”
Chief Supt Rob Atkin MBE, at the City of London Police, said: “If you come to the City with the intention of stealing mobile phones you will receive a robust response as we work hard to bring you to justice. We will relentlessly target those who offend in the City and those who dispose of stolen phones.
Tyrone Dean
Louis Parkinson“We’re making the City safer for those who are out and about in the Square Mile and that’s why we’ve dedicated more resources to preventing phone snatching. One of the key elements of our success has been our cycle team, a highly visible deterrent who have disrupted countless potential phone snatchings before they could happen.”
The City of London Police says its initiative to tackle mobile phone theft has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of phones stolen in the Square Mile. According to the force, last month there were 36 phone snatches compared to 143 in July last year, a 75 percent reduction in this type of street theft. The summer months have traditionally seen an increase in the number of phone snatches and July 2022 saw the most of any month recorded last year.
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