Hossein Rabah, 34, of Hackney, east London, was arrested at the station on the evening of January 4 by British Transport Police (BTP) officers in plain clothes.
The following day he pleaded guilty to one count of theft at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court and was jailed for thirty-six weeks.
Rabah was spotted by BTP’s plain clothes officers walking around the station searching for an opportunity.
CCTV footage captured the moment he entered Kineya Mugimaru restaurant and stood behind a man and woman having dinner as officers watched his every move.
Seconds later he bent down and carefully took the man’s rucksack before leaving the restaurant.
The officers leapt into action, immediately arresting Rabah for the brazen theft and handing the rucksack back to the victim.
BTP Sergeant James Ashby said: “Rabah roamed St. Pancras station looking for any opportunity to steal, but he was completely unaware that our eagle-eyed officers were attuned to his plan.
“As shown in the CCTV footage, it’s no coincidence that we were able to strike the moment Rabah committed his crime.
“Thankfully he is now behind bars, and the victim was immediately reunited with his bag which contained around £600 worth of his possessions.
“Our officers are in key locations on the rail network every day in plain clothes, so even if you don’t see us, we are there keeping you and your belongings safe.
“If you spot someone acting suspiciously as you travel, please report it to us by texting 61016.”
No comments:
Post a Comment