'Cinderella' phone snatcher jailed for 15 months

"A man dubbed as the "Cinderella" phone snatcher by the City of London Police has been jailed for 15 months after DNA from his lost shoe linked him to the theft. While riding an e-bike Spencer Duarte, from Saffron Waldon, Essex grabbed a phone from his unsuspecting victim in Ludgate Hill on 7 August. He was then tackled by members of the public and fled, losing his trainer shoe in the process."

"Met Police PC Jake Dean said: "This is a fantastic result and we've put another phone snatcher behind bars. "This might seem like just one phone, but this conviction shows the determination of police officers in catching phone snatching criminals and returning devices to victims." The police added the victim had been left fearful of visiting London and he had suffered ill health as a result of the incident."

Spencer Duarte, 29 and from Saffron Waldon, Essex, grabbed a phone from a victim on Ludgate Hill on 7 August while riding an e-bike. Members of the public tackled him and he fled, losing a trainer shoe. DNA recovered from the shoe produced a single major profile that matched a male profile on the national DNA database, leading to Duarte's arrest on 9 September. Duarte admitted one count of theft in June and was sentenced to 15 months at Inner London Crown Court on 24 September. The victim was left fearful of visiting London and suffered ill health.

Read at www.bbc.com