POINSAUMY:FIVE YEARS FOR THUG WHO ROBBED PASSENGERS ON DESERTED TRAINS

A callous thug who robbed lone rail passengers on deserted late night trains has been locked up for five years.

Sino Poinsaumy, 20, led a gang who punched, kicked and slashed travellers across south London and Kent after demanding their mobile phones and cash.

One of their victims was a 16-year-old boy who was left with concussion after he was beaten as he slept, Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Another 16-year-old lad received a three-inch cut to his face when he was slashed with a knife after he refused to hand over his phone.

Jailing him, Judge Charles Byers said: ‘He accepts he was part of a gang that was terrorising the trains of the southeast of England.

‘I can imagine nothing more intimidating than being locked in a train and finding this defendant bearing down on me and intent on relieving me of my mobile phone.’

He added: ‘These victims were injured by the persistent and cowardly blows rained down by you or your confederates.

‘I am quite satisfied that you must be given a custodial sentence of some length.

‘The public are thoroughly fed up with this type of crime.’

His brother Nico, 18, admitted taking part in a single separate robbery and was given a suspended sentence.

Both were caught after CCTV images showing their faces were shown in newspapers and on television.

All the attacks took place in August and September last year.

Gudrun Fama (CORR), prosecuting, said: ‘The modus operandi are very similar.

‘The victims tend to be solitary travellers, so there’s nobody else in the compartments.

‘The trains are either very, very early in the morning or late at night, so they are fairly empty.

‘The items taken are initially always the mobile telephone, but also some cash and on one occasion a victim had his watch taken.’

Sino Poinsaumy targeted his first victim, aged 16, on the Gillingham to Abbey Wood service during the evening of August 24, the court was told.

He was punched in the face, kicked in the ribs and slashed with a knife when he refused to hand over his phone.

‘He was bleeding profusely and had to be taken to hospital,’ said Mrs Fama.

Similar attacks took place on August 31 and September 6 and 9.

The victim of the September 6 robbery, also 16, was asleep when he was targeted.

‘As he was sleeping he felt someone touching his trouser pocket,’ said Mrs Fama.

‘He was then punched and that is the last he remembers, because the next time he woke up was in hospital, where he was being treated for concussion.’

Thomas Allen, defending Sino, admitted his client was part of a gang, but denied he was the ringleader.

Nico Poinsaumy admitted taking part in a fifth robbery for £5 in cash, where the victim was threatened, but not assaulted.

He was not involved in the four other offences with his brother, the court was told.

Nico was given eight months’ youth detention, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 220 hours’ unpaid work.

Sino Poinsaumy, of Humber Crescent, Strood, Kent, admitted four charges of robbery.

Nico Poinsaumy, of New Road Avenue, Chatham, Kent, admitted one charge of robbery.

After the hearing, Detective Constable Marie Jeffery, of British Transport Police robbery squad, said: ‘Many of the victims were injured and all of them were left extremely distressed and shaken by the ordeal they had to endure.

‘I would like to pass my thanks to the members of the public who called and helped us identify the Poinsaumy brothers, enabling us to arrest them and put a stop to their violence.

‘Thankfully incidents of this nature are extremely rare on the rail network and in this case we were able to use the clear CCTV images from the platforms to get their names.’
ends