Scourge Of Square Mile Behind Bars

A prolific Square Mile bag thief, who targeted pubs in the City of London, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Sid Rebai, 36, was the scourge of hard-working Londoners, relaxing with a drink and unaware of the heartless opportunist. 

He was also handed a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) banning him from entering the City of London for six years.

On Tuesday, May 6, plain-clothed officers from the Proactive Acquisitive Crime Team spotted Rebai, who was known to police, at a pub in Aldgate.

Officers approached Rebai, found a stolen bag on him and arrested him for theft. 

The victim was identified and officers returned the bag and its contents to him. 

Inspector Dan Green, of the Proactive Acquisitive Crime Team at the City of London Police, said: “This is another great result in seeing a prolific bag thief behind bars and returning stolen items to victims.

“Our warning to criminals; don’t come into the City to steal bags. If you do, you risk being spotted by our plain-clothed officers, who will track you down, arrest you and bring you to justice.”

The investigation was led by the Volume Crime Unit who gathered all the relevant evidence, spoke to the victims and presented the case to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Ives, at the City of London Police, said: “This case highlights the excellent work of our officers in the Volume Crime Unit who work tirelessly in bringing criminals to justice.

“We hope that this sentence and CBO will act as a deterrent to others thinking of criminal activity.

“Our dedicated officers are out across the City, using covert and overt tactics to tackle acquisitive crimes such as bag thefts and phone snatching. 

“These crimes have significant impact on victims and we’re determined to prevent them.”

Rebai was also convicted of the stealing three bags on Tuesday, April 8 from pubs in the City and he was convicted of stealing a bag and a laptop from a pub in the Minories on Tuesday, April 29.