A violent robber who was caught as a direct result of social media appeals has admitted his guilt at court today.

Jahone Issa Allen, 24, of Uxbridge, appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, July 25, where he admitted robbery, GBH with intent and theft from an ATM machine.

He has been remanded into custody to be sentenced on September 5, 2014.

Allen was arrested and charged on Tuesday, July 1.

He was nabbed following a concerted Twitter campaign in which www.getwestlondon.co.uk and Hillingdon Police ‘tweeted’ CCTV images of Allen at a cashpoint shortly after he had viciously attacked a man and stolen his bank card.

Allen had committed the robbery at about 9.30am on May 9 in Tudor Road, Hayes.

The victim, a man aged 49, was making his daily walk to work along Tudor Road in the direction of Wood End Green Road, when Allen walked passed him.

As they passed, Allen hit the victim on the head, knocking him to the ground then robbed him of his wallet and iPhone.

The victim was taken to a central London hospital for treatment to a head injury. He has since been discharged from hospital and is at home receiving rehabilitation for his injuries.

Enquiries conducted by detectives from Hillingdon CID established that the victim’s bank card has been used in attempts to withdraw money from cash machines in Uxbridge at three locations - outside the central post office in the High Street, at Barclay’s Bank opposite, on the corner of Belmont Road, and at BP Connect in Long Lane, Hillingdon.

CCTV stills of the then unknown suspect were published by this website, in the Uxbridge Gazette, and ‘tweeted’ by us from the @MPSHillingdon account.

As a direct result of the tweets, police received information on Sunday, June 29 which identified the suspect to be Allen.

Officers arrested him two days later and he was charged the same day.

Detective Chief Inspector Richard Turner of Hillingdon CID said: “Allen has today admitted his role in this violent robbery which left an innocent victim with appalling injuries.

“With the help of the community we were able to identify and locate Allen quickly. We have no doubt that our Twitter appeal was a powerful tool in the successful outcome of this enquiry.

“We welcome the community to follow us on @MPSHillingdon and help support our fight against crime.”