Moped muggers laugh and joke as they get 13 years

A gang of moped robbers who targeted former chancellor George Osborne as they carried out 103 phone robberies in just 18 days have been  jailed for more than 13 years

Ringleader Claude Parkinson, 18, and two other teenagers aged 15 and 16, are one of the most prolific moped gangs ever to operate in the capital.

Armed with a hammer and tyre-iron, they singled out pedestrians texting or making calls before mounting the pavement and snatching the handsets.

Dramatic photos showing them roaring through streets with one raising a hammer above his head as they sped towards at passers-by.

Evening Standard editor Mr Osborne recalled in a victim impact statement how the raiders made a grab at his mobile as he left BBC headquarters in Portland Place, on 4 May.

‘After the incident three or four members of the public approached me and asked if I was alright,’ he said in a victim impact statement.

The raid in Thebold’s Lane

‘I was physically unharmed but felt shocked and stunned.

‘The incident happened so quickly that I barely registered what had happened until afterwards.

‘The scooter was so close that it almost brushed past me.

‘Had it hit me, I have no doubt I would have been seriously injured.’

The trio, all from Islington, admitted conspiracy to rob after stealing 103 phones across Westminster, Islington, Camden and Kensington and Chelsea, between 18 April and 5 May.

Parkinson and one of the youths also admitted breaching a criminal behaviour order.

Samsul Chowdhury, 40, who provided a shopping list of handsets to the gang including what he would pay for handsets before flogging them overseas, admitted dishonestly recieving stolen goods.

Prosecutor Paul Fairley said: ‘Recently, the UK – and London in particular – has seen a huge increase in what is termed ‘moped enabled crime’ – robberies and thefts for, in the main, mobile phones.

‘At the height of the period covering this indictment, the police team covering Westminster were seeing in excess of 100 such offences per week.

‘The premise is simple.

‘Obtain a stolen moped, or steal it for yourself.

‘Dress up in motorcycle clothing which has the effect of providing a very effective disguise.

‘Arm yourself if necessary and then drive about looking for mobile phones to steal.

‘They are easy to find, they are expensive and the sell-on price for the thief is significant.

‘They are in plain view and there for the taking – loosely in the hands of the many members of the public who walk along looking down at them – completely unaware of who might be waiting to pounce, driving up on to the pavements, coming alongside the victim, snatching the phones and then driving away.

Raid in Oxford Street

‘These offences are difficult to detect.

‘Mopeds are highly manoeuvrable and are able to get away quickly, using routes which cars cannot follow.

‘If CCTV footage is obtained, the riders are anonymous and so, as long as not detained at the scene of the crime, the chances of escaping detection are high.

‘The offending rate was so high precisely because of the rewards available, and because there was a ready market.

‘In this case, that market came in the guise of Samsul Chowdhury.’

Married father-of-two Chowdhury made himself known he was willing to accept the stolen phones at a good price.

Police raided the former Asda worker’s home on May 26 and found 35 stolen phones as well as laptops and other items stolen during residential burglaries.

The handsets were usually delivered to Chowdhury less than an hour after they were stolen.

His account books noted ‘pages and pages of carefully documented phones, prices the total of which runs into many thousands of pounds’.

Records show he traded in 327 items totalling £52,150 over a 42-day period between 5 April and 17 May.

Parkinson was always the lead moped rider while the younger raiders accepted involvement during the sprees on 21 April and 4 May.

The prosecutor said little violence was employed until the final day when they ‘upped the ante and armed themselves’ outside the BBC building on 4 May.

‘This time, the group made an unwitting but ultimately disastrous mistake,’ continued the prosecutor.

‘As they drove past the BBC building they happened to pass in front of a BBC cameraman Ian Lawrence, who was standing holding a long lens camera whist waiting for a taxi.

‘He realised what was happening and started taking pictures.’

Park Lane attack

The images were so detailed they helped nail Parkinson after officers were able to recognise his eyes through the visor along with bitten fingernails and distinctive clothing.

Describing his ordeal Frederick Frank said: ‘The single rider (Parkinson) snatched my phone in his left hand, calmly finding the power button and switching the phone off before accelerating off.

‘The twin riders behind him were whooping with joy.

‘They seemed like new recruits being shown the ropes by a modern day Artful Dodger.’

All three youngsters have previous convictions going back to their early teens for offences including theft and driving offences.

Judge David Tomlinson told them: ‘What happened here was prolific moped-enabled crime involving a series of robberies and attempted robberies on five separate days over a period of two-and-a-half weeks.

‘You three young defendants, and a fourth person who has not been caught, rode around on stolen mopeds primarily targeting pedestrians who were holding their mobile phones in their hands.

‘By 4 May 2017 you resorted to the use of weapons to enforce your intentions.

‘With or without weapons, there was throughout this course of conduct a risk to the safety and well-being of members of our community.

‘By 4 May 2017 your willingness to threaten violence with weapons showed that your offending had spiralled out of control.

‘That was also the day most of the offences were committed and you were all involved.’

Parkinson, of Thornhill Square, Islington, was sentenced to five years and three months while the two youths were handed terms of four years and two months.

Those sentences will be served in a young offenders’ institution.

Chowdhury, of Usk Street, Bethnal Green, was jailed for four years and ten months.