A prolific phone thief who stole 24 mobile phones in one morning on an electric motorbike has pleaded guilty to theft.
Sonny Stringer and an accomplice sped through the streets of central London on March 26, reaching speeds of up to 50mph as they stole phones.
The 28-year-old from Islington, North Londonsnatched phones out of the hands of unsuspecting members of the public throughout the day.
Appearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, Stringer was given an interim driving ban and is now due to be sentenced on August 8.
Stringer also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance, City of London Police said.
His string of robberies began at around 10.15am that day, near Baker Street tube station, when he grabbed a woman’s phone from her hands while she was using a map app to navigate around the city.
Heading towards Marble Arch, on Edgware Road, he robbed another woman at around 10.30am and between then and 11am also robbed others in Cromwell Place, Grosvenor Place, Regent Street and Orange Street.
Sonny Stringer, 28, from Islington, London. Photo: City of London Police
The accomplices robbed several people on the morning of March 26. Photo: City of London Police
Many of those affected were able to recover their phones thanks to the work of police officers.
Two further robberies took place in Westminster and Piccadilly and at around 11.15am, phone thieves stole an iPhone 15 from a woman.
Control agents managed to track the pair, triggering a police chase.
After speeding across Blackfriars Bridge, the pair avoided a police car and crossed a pedestrian crossing, narrowly missing one member of the public as another had to run to avoid being run over.
Two police officers quickly began approaching the pair as the phone thieves climbed onto the sidewalk at times as they tried to escape.
A police officer, PC Jordan Smith, ran over Stringer as he walked towards a footpath, where a family was pushing a buggy.
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Moments before police knocked Stringer off his bike. Photo: City of London Police
Stringer attempted to flee on foot, but PC Smith pulled out a taser and the criminal quickly surrendered.
He dropped a bag containing 22 phones and two more were dropped during the chase.
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Chief Superintendent Rob Atkin MBE said: “The successful capture and prosecution of a prolific phone thief shows the City of London Police’s focus on detecting and bringing to justice those who steal from people on our streets.
“This was a team effort by our control team following offenders on CCTV and communicating with officers on the ground, to respond to officers making critical risk decisions to protect the public and make an arrest.
“Not forgetting our investigators who track down victims in London, return valuable mobile phones and secure a guilty verdict.
“Phone theft has a significant impact on victims and our top priority has been to reduce the number of phones stolen and relentlessly target the criminals responsible.”
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