VIDEO: Police chase thief on moped after he snatches 21 mobile phones in an hour
Jailed: Cavell Hutson, who snatched mobile phones from pedestrians as he sped past on a moped - Credit: Metropolitan Police
A prolific thief who snatched mobiles from Camden pedestrians as he sped past on a moped has been jailed for more than three years.
Cavell Hutson, 21, of Highbury New Park, was detained by police on September 3 after an hour-long crime spree through the city in which he stole 21 mobile phones.
He and an accomplice had torn through inner London on a moped, snatching devices from 10 pedestrians in a number of streets around Euston Station and Camden, as well as three in Islington, two in Hackney, five in Westminster and one in Tower Hamlets.
Officers from Operation Attrition, the task force that tackles this type of snatch theft, were called to track down the moped, which had been fixed with fake number plates.
A police helicopter followed the dramatic chase as the suspects sped dangerously through the streets. They abandoned their moped off Kingsland Road, Hackney, and then made off on foot in different directions.
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Officers hunted down Hutson just a few streets away in Kingsland Passage and recovered the 21 stolen phones. They later managed to return all devices to their owners.
On Monday Hutson pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court to 21 snatch thefts of mobile phones, dangerous driving and breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO). He was sentenced to 32 months for the phone thefts and eight months for dangerous driving and will serve the sentences consecutively. He was slapped with a £700 fine for breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).
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Detective Chief Inspector Steve Heatley of Operation Attrition said: “This was an excellent result, which has seen a perpetrator of an audacious crime, which not only endangered members of the public but himself and his accomplice, receive a robust jail sentence.”
Police have urged all Camden residents not to text while walking, to make phone calls using handsfree and to activate all mobile phone security features.
The other suspect is still at large and officers have appealed for anyone with information to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
