Robber grabbed virtual currency from sellers desperate to offload Bitcoin

A ‘crypto robber’ who grabbed £34,000 in virtual currency after promising to exchange it for cash has been jailed for five years.

Karim Hassan, 21, used untraceable photo conversations on the social media app SnapChat to set up meetings with his victims.

Once they joined him in the back of his black Audi, Hassan demanded their phones and digital wallets, containing Tether and Bitcoin, Southwark crown court heard.

Zain Hankin, who lost £20,000, had video-called Hassan before their ‘deal’.

When in the car Mr Hankin was told to hand over his phone and after refusing Hassan said: ‘Do something before I stick it in your neck.’

Abbas Mamuod was threatened with a flick knife by one of Hassan’s accomplices before £10,600 was withdrawn from his accounts.

Abdullahi Goloid was lured to a deal and threatened with having his fingers chopped off ‘one by one’ before he agreed to hand over £2,500.

Mr Goloid was also led to an underground car park where he was punched several times by Hassan and another unidentified male.

The victim was told ‘Digger could come and tie him up, strip him and rape him’.

Another unidentified male was told: ‘I’m a f–king killer, I’m going to jail soon. I’m going to stab you in the neck.’

All the transactions were made using the victim’s phone and their thumbprints to authorise the transfers.

John Oliver, defending Hassan, said there is clearly a ‘progression in the seriousness of these offences.’

Mr Oliver said Hassan had a troubled family background and had to step up to the role of father of the family from an early age.

Hassan had previously trained to be a chocolatier but found himself out of education and work when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

He then ‘started hanging around with the wrong people.’

Judge Martin Griffith told Hassan: ‘You are 21 years of age and you have kept out of trouble. Now you have managed to score a spectacular injury in relation to these offences.

‘These are three very serious robberies. They were clearly planned.

‘The victims were enticed by currency swaps. The convenience of crypto robberies is that the money can be obtained with the use of just a phone.

‘It can be done swiftly, without the need to take the victim to a cashpoint, it is very much a 21st Century means of robbery.

‘I consider five years to be the appropriate sentence for all these sentences together, each three counts the same running concurrently.’

Wearing a black turtleneck sweater and trousers, Hassan fought back the tears as he was led away.

Hassan, of Dowland Street, Maida Vale, admitted three counts of robbery.