Phone snatcher back on the streets because of prison overcrowding

A Romanian phone thief who targeted a drinker in the West End has been spared jail due to prison overcrowding. Sever Stanescu, 23, handed his victim a handwritten note to distract him before making off with his mobile in February 2023. The man gave chase and got his phone back, and Stansecu was eventually arrested. He was due to stand to trial at Southwark Crown Court on 25 January 2024 but failed to attend and was convicted of theft in…