A pair of schoolboys who went on a two day handbag snatching spree have been jailed for four and a half years.
A 16-year-old from Hammersmith and Fulham has been sent to a young offenders institute for three years and given a year long driving ban while a 15-year-old from Lambeth will serve 18 months in a young offenders institute.
The duo, who cannot be named for legal reasons, began their spree on August 26 when they stole a moped from Queensdale Place in Notting Hill which they then used to commit six robberies in less than 48 hours.
On the same day they grabbed a 51-year-old woman’s handbag as they mounted the pavement in Maxwell Road, Fulham, and pushed her to the floor then dragged her along the ground as she struggled with them. They dropped her bag as they were making off.
A short time later on the same day they did the same thing to a 30-year-old woman walking along Epple Road, Fulham, but this time managed to make off with her bag.
On the following day (August 27) they robbed four people between 1am and 7am with the first one happening in Roehampton Lane, Barnes, when they grabbed a 21-year-old woman’s bag from her shoulder then rode off.
The next robbery happened in New Kings Road, Fulham, when a 26-year-old woman’s handbag was snatched from her after the duo mounted the pavement towards her.
Then at about 2.10am on the same day a 20-year-old woman waiting for a bus in Munster Road, Fulham, had her handbag grabbed from her shoulder by the pair who made her fall to the floor and dragged her along the ground but she was luckily not seriously hurt.
A final robbery by the twosome happened by Sainsbury’s in North End Crescent in West Kensington when a 26-year-old female had her bag grabbed then they pushed her away causing her to fall.
Their spree was abruptly halted when they were arrested the next day and charged after being identified on CCTV. They pleaded guilty to all six robberies on September 23 at Isleworth Crown Court and were sentenced last Tuesday (October 28).
All the victims said they heard the moped coming towards them before having their bags snatched.
DC Simon Feighan, from Hammersmith and Fulham Police’s serious acquisitive crime unit, said: “For two days this pair targeted vulnerable lone females in the street. Fortunately none of the victims received serious injuries except for cuts and bruises however, it could have been much worse.
“We managed to identify the pair using CCTV and we were aided brilliantly by a council CCTV operator who seeing the pair riding the moped became suspicious and zoomed in on the riders face enabling us to eventually identify the rider.
“Both have received a substantial sentence by the court which is a great result removing a serious risk from the community and stopping further incidents that could have likely resulted in serious injuries to the victims. These males were riding at considerable speeds along the pavement at their victims with very little thought what injuries their victims.”
