Prolific Mugger Caged: London's Streets Now Safer

A violent mugger, who targeted lone women in West London in a series of terrifying late-night attacks shortly after his release from prison, has been jailed for ten years.

Mohamoud Ibrahim, 24, of Central Avenue, Hayes left all five victims with psychological trauma and injuries after they were repeatedly punched and pushed to the ground.

On the 6 April at 1:32am a 34-year-old female was robbed of her cash in East Avenue, Hayes.

During the robbery, she was pushed to the floor and assaulted and suffered minor facial injuries. 


On 17 April at 4:30am a lone 29-year-old female was physically assaulted at a bus stop in Uxbridge Road, Hayes.

She was punched to the face and pushed to the ground. Her attacker demanded her handbag but fled empty handed and she suffered minor facial injuries.



On 28 April at 5:30am a lone 43-year-old female was violently attacked in St Christopher's Drive, Hayes.

She was grabbed from behind and punched several times to the face and upper body. She was forced to the ground and he tried to take her handbag, but fled empty handed.

She suffered moderate facial injuries, including a broken tooth.



On 31 May at 1:30am a lone 20-year-old female was violently attacked in East Avenue, Hayes.

She was grabbed from behind, punched and forced to the ground. Her attacker demanded her handbag and ran off empty handed and she suffered facial injuries.



On 1 June at 1:30am a lone 38-year-old female was violently attacked in Coldharbour Lane, Hayes.

She was attacked from behind, punched and forced to the ground. Her attacker demanded her handbag and ran off empty handed.



Police mounted an undercover operation which entailed working during the night hours in tracking down Ibrahim.

On the 6 June police were successful in their hunt when on patrol in Station Road, Hayes.

They stopped Ibrahim as he fitted the description of the serial attacker.

At the time Ibrahim was on license after being released from prison on 27 March for a similar offence.

Judge Martin Edmunds said he was satisfied that an extremely dangerous man has been taken off the streets.

He added; "I have no doubt that he (Ibrahim) poses a significant risk of causing harm. He will commit further offences including attacks on women, which I must do my best to prevent."



Detective Inspector Scott Hartley said: "Mohamoud Ibrahim waged a campaign of robberies against lone females at night.

“The first was committed no less than two weeks following his release from custody for a similar offence.

“His offences demonstrate a pattern of behaviour; each offence was pre-meditated and excessively violent.

“There is evidence that he stalked his victims and in most cases, attacked them from behind.

“This made identification particularly difficult.



"Ibrahim is an extremely dangerous offender who poses significant risk to the public, particularly females.

“I believe London will be a safer place now that he is serving a lengthy custodial sentence.

“I would like to thank the victims in this case for their courage and co-operation.

“Without the assistance of the public, successful prosecutions are not possible and such dangerous offenders cannot be brought to justice."

Gambler's Murder: Have You Seen His Rucksack?

Police investigating the murder of a debt-ridden Lithuanian builder, who was beaten to death and dumped in an East London stream, hope tracing his rucksack will solve the mystery.

The body of gambler Evaldas Svolkinas, 34, of Dorking Rise, Romford was found locally in Carter's Brook, near Wincanton Road on December 16, last year.

A post-mortem examination at Queens Hospital the next day gave the cause of death as severe head injuries.


An incident room has opened at the Homicide and Serious Crime Command under Detective Chief Inspector Chris Jones, who have discovered Mr. Svolkinas owed large amounts of money to different people.


Mr. Svolkinas is believed to have left his home address at approximately 6.00am on Thursday December 13.

He didn't attend work and was reported missing to police the following day.

He was wearing grey combat style trousers, a dark blue coat and blue trainers.



Police made extensive enquiries as his disappearance was totally out of character.



DCI Jones said: “We believe the victim was in possession of a rucksack identical to that displayed in the attached photo at time of his death. 



"This has not been located to date and we would appeal to any person who may have seen or have information as to its current whereabouts to contact the investigation team.



"The rucksack has three small silver images of 'power tools' at the top of the bag and the word 'Festool' embossed in the black section toward it's base. 



"Evaldas was a well known member of the Lithuanian community in East London.

He worked within the construction industry and employed members from his community to work on projects in the South East. 



"Investigations have established that Evaldas was a frequent gambler which led to him experiencing significant financial troubles owing monies to numerous persons.

“This is a line of enquiry we are exploring and I would appeal to any person, specifically members of the Lithuanian community who may have information on what happened to Evaldas or his lifestyle to contact the investigation team."



Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8345 3734 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

Driver Caught After Cocktail Of Booze

A civil engineer, who has a “memory blank” concerning the night he downed a cocktail of wine, gin and vodka shots and jumped behind the wheel of his car, was banned from the roads yesterday.

Jan Lech Marchlewski, 25, was stopped by police at 4.45am while three times the drink-drive limit after drinking all evening at a restaurant and then a nightclub.

He pleaded guilty at Hammersmith Magistrates' Court (pictured) to driving his Alfa Romeo with excess alcohol in his breath in Rigault Road, Fulham on January 20.

Prosecutor Miss Rav Choda told the court police turned and followed Marchlewski when they saw him speeding around a corner and when they pulled him over noticed one of his tyres was flat.

His breath smelled of alcohol and he failed a roadside breath-test.

The court heard Marchlewski enjoyed wine and two or three gins with dinner then another four to five gins at a club, plus vodka shots.

He was driving to McDonald's when stopped by the police.
Marchlewski was fined £627, with £85 costs and ordered to pay a £62 victim surcharge. He was also disqualified from driving for eighteen months.

Strangers Slashed In Horrific Knife Attacks

Two men were left permanently scarred by a drink and drug-fuelled knifeman, who slashed them across the face - using a blade his friend hid in her bra for the second "utterly horrific" attack.

CCTV captured 27 year-old Dean Hughes "dancing about gleefully" as he celebrated the first Stanley knife slashing of a stranger, sparked by Lauren McTaggart, 23, (pic.top) shouting: "Fucking Romanians," at the victim and his friend.

Two hours later an innocent shop worker suffered a deep cut from his forehead to mouth after McTaggert produced the same blade from her cleavage and handed it to Hughes, (pic.bottom) who two days earlier had been bailed by magistrates on charges of assaulting and obstructing police.

Hughes, of Greenwood Street, Kilburn and McTaggart, of Hillside Avenue, Borehamwood both pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, with intent, on store employee Mohamidi Aziz, 31, in Kilburn High Road in the early hours of April 12, last year.

Hughes alone pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, with intent, on Albanian-born Elton Citric, 24, at 11.30pm on April 11 in Kilburn High Road and possessing the knife as an offensive weapon.

Sentencing him to twelve years imprisonment, Blackfriars Crown Court Judge Ian Karsten QC told Hughes: "You had been drinking too much and taken cocaine and were with McTaggart and another man and woman.

"Two innocent, decent people were walking towards you, making their way to the bus stop after finishing work at a restaurant.

"You slashed Mr. Citric with a Stanley knife for no reason at all and it left a nasty scar and he is going to have that for the rest of his life."

The victim suffered a 10cm-long wound to his right cheek and Hughes celebrated as he made his way to a bar across the street, where he swapped clothes with his friend and gave the knife to McTaggart.

"You can be seen dancing about gleefully, gloating about what you had done, showing with your hand how you slashed this man."

Two hours later the group walked into a twenty-four hour convenience store and quickly began making a nuisance of themselves.

"There was some kind of disturbance and the CCTV shows an utterly horrific series of events in which you ask McTaggart for the Stanley knife and she passes it to you from her bra and you slash Mr. Aziz, who was walking away from you at the time.

"You slashed him across his face even more extensively than you slashed Mr. Citric. You cut both eyelids of his left eye and he was extremely lucky he did not have his eye damaged.

"This was wanton, wicked and quite unforgivable and you caused huge damage to two individuals."

Jailing McTaggart for three-and-a-half years Judge Karsten told her: "You contributed to changing Mr. Aziz's life forever. You are fully responsible for joining the event that caused that very serious injury.

"You knew what he had done with that knife a couple of hours previously. It is a shocking thing that you did."

Her family had encouraged the first-time offender to emigrate to Australia alone because she had fallen in with a "bed crowd" but those plans are now in tatters due to the conviction and sentence.

Mr. Aziz told police: "I had my back to him and he smashed me on the side of the face. I panicked and tried to get some tissues, but the bleeding wouldn't stop.

"There was so much blood and I was scared and my eye hurt so much, but the doctor now tells me I should be able to see.

"They gave me a mirror to see my face and it made me feel sick. I am damaged forever, I am so sad I look like this."

The knife was found dumped in a bin behind a local shop, still stained with the victims's blood, and with traces of Hughes' DNA and some of McTaggart's hair on it.

A third defendant, Nicola Kutsaringus, 27, of Lemsford Court, Borehamwood pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour and was sentenced to four months imprisonment. No charges were brought against a 31 year-old man who was also arrested.

Abusive Neighbour Jailed Over Garden Hedge Dispute

A neighbour-from-hell, who shouted and swore at a long-suffering fellow-resident on a South-East London close during a garden hedge dispute, has been jailed for three-and-a-half months.

Mary Honour-Bridget Supple, 58, breached a court-imposed restraining order when she banged on her neighbour's door shouting: “You fucking bastard. Telling me what I can and cannot do.”

Bromley Magistrates' Court heard Supple had lived in Ratcliffe Close, Lee (pictured) for thirteen years and a two-year restraining order was imposed on July 16, last year after she was convicted of two counts of harrassing her neighbours.

However, Supple, who has moved to St. Donatts Road, Brockley was convicted of breaching the order just three weeks after it was made on July 16.

There had been a long-standing dispute over a hedge in the garden, which Supple wanted removed and eventually she did it herself.

She continues to deny the offence, which also put her in breach of a suspended sentence, and was eventually evicted from her home – ending eight years of disputes – and now lives in assisted accomodation.

District Judge Roger Ede told Supple: “Within three weeks you breached the order by using abusive words, which you were prohibited from using against these people.

“It would be a nonsense if I did not activate the suspended sentence because you did exactly the same thing again.”

Dinner Money Gobbled By School Employee

A junior school administrator, who swiped over £4,000 in children’s' dinner money during a nine-month fraud to pay debts and fund her cannabis use, escaped prison with a suspended sentence yesterday.

Single-mum Samantha Winn, 41, was a trusted employee of six years at Torridon Junior School, Lewisham (pictured) until she was caught, sacked and then returned to her native Bristol.

Winn, of Rookery Way, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position between May 6, 2011 and February 10, last year while employed as an administrative assistant.

Prosecutor Miss Jackie Walker told Bromley Magistrates' Court: “A referral was made to the council by the head of the school, who was told of discrepancies by the school's business manager in regard to dinner money going back a year.

“The thefts were carried out by making incorrect entries on the balance sheet to show less money was being collected.

“The shortfall was not immediately picked up because the summary sheet, completed by Mrs Winn, matched the amounts in cash that were passed on.”

Records showed Winn stole money when she was not under the direct supervision of her manager and a total of £4,478 was taken.

She was arrested on March 13, last year.

“She admitted taking the money and manipulating the summary sheet to cover the shortfall,” explained Miss Walker.

Her lawyer Mr. Derek Connor told the court: “Financial hardship was the motivation and she was eventually evicted from her home because she owed rent.”

The court also heard depressed Winn, who has a sixteen year-old son, was spending £20-
£30 per week on cannabis.

“The money literally went up in smoke with the amount off cannabis you were smoking,” District Judge roger Ede told the first-time offender.

“You were a trusted employee and were trusted to collect and account for the dinner money.

“No one would have guessed you were keeping it for yourself, because you had been there for so long.

“You obtained quite a significant sum of money and you breached the trust of your employer.”

Winn was sentenced to twelve weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months, ordered to complete 100 hours community service and attend a compulsory fifteen-day women’s programme.

Jobless Winn was also ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to the London Borough of Lewisham at the rate of £5 per week.

Show Me The Money: Drug Dealer's Asset's Stripped

A drug dealer, caught in an East End nightclub, has had his car confiscated along wth £19,485 cash and £14,509 seized from his bank account while continuing to serve a sentence of four years and eight months imprisonment.

Antony Hariades, 39, (pictured) of Bramshaw Road, Homerton was arrested at the Catch 22 nightclub in Bethnal Green on March 26, last year with cocaine, cannabis and a quantity of pills.

Police searched his home and founder larger, more varied, amounts of drugs including cocaine, cannabis, ketamine, MDMA, amphetamine and diazepam.

His assets were seized by Hackney Borough's Bantam and Payback Unit under the Proceeds of Crime Act and included all available money and his £4,225 Audi A3.

Detective Constable Nerys Lloyd George of the unit said: "This investigation has removed a substantial amount of drugs destined for the streets of London and the profits made from drug dealing.


"The case highlights the work that payback units do, working alongside operational teams, ensuring criminals to do not benefit from their activities.

“Whatever your lifestyle, the police will pursue you through the courts and take money earned through criminal activity away." 

St. Ormond Street Hospital 'Cancer' Swindler Jailed

A "despicable" conwoman, who posed as a cancer-stricken St. Ormond Street Hospital nurse and duped at least 54 victims into sponsoring her non-existent  charity walk, was jailed for six months today.

Mother-of-three Rosemary Cotter, 40, also claimed she was raising funds for St. Thomas's Hospital during the two-month door-to-door scam.

"One can hardly think of a more emotive line than: 'I'm collecting for children with cancer at St. Ormond Street.' It's despicable," said Woolwich Crown Court Judge Michael Topolski QC.

"What you did fifty-four times is particularly reprehensible," he told Cotter. "You knocked on the doors of members of the public and pretended to be collecting money for charity."

Street cleaner Cotter, of Woolwich pleaded guilty to defrauding a 72 year-old Bexleyheath pensioner of £10 by falsely representing she was a charity collector and asked for fifty-three similar offences between November 1, 2012 and January 4, this year to be taken into consideration.

'The charity you chose was Great Ormond Street Hospital. You lied to her about that, you lied to her that you were a nurse and that you were a charity collector for cancer research.

"You chose quite deliberately and cynically a well-known and well-loved institution," added the judge.

Prosecutor Mr. Gregor McKinley told the court (pictured) Cotter tricked her way into the 72 year-old victim's home. "Mrs Cotter said she herself was suffering with cancer and sat on the sofa and asked if she could smoke a cigarette."

She convinced the pensioner she was participating in a charity walk from Woolwich to Great Ormond Street, using a Woman's Own magazine cancer article to back up her story, and received £10 sponsorship.

The victim discovered £400 cash was missing from an ornament after the defendant had left, but a burglary charge was not pursued against Cotter.

The defendant was arrested in Sidcup and police found completed sponsorship forms for the 53 other victims during a search of her home.

"Maybe she was going to do it again with the same people who had given generously once already and ask them to double the money," commented Judge Topolski.

"It makes the charity giver more suspicious the next time someone genuinely asks them for money for charity, but of course you did not care about that. You just wanted to make some money."

None of the other 53 victims realised they had been conned at the time and Cotter's gain is estimated at approximately £550.

She was also ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge.

Burglar Caught Minutes After Late-Night Break-In

A burglar, caught by police who spotted him walking along the street with a laptop and a connected lead trailing behind him, has been jailed for four years.

Jobless Colin James Reid, 34, (pictured) of Weir Hall Avenue, Upper Edmonton also had a break-in kit of gloves, screwdriver and torch.

He was convicted of burgling a ground floor flat in Boundary Road, Wood Green and going equipped for theft on August 24, last year.

Wood Green Crown Court heard Reid was seen at 1.00am by officers from Haringey's Proactive Crime Team as he walked along Westbury Avenue.

He fled, but was caught in nearby Grainger Road and was linked to a burglary minutes earlier in which he jumped through an open window, waking the occupants as he landed on the floor.

He snatched the laptop and escaped via the front door.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Wendy Mason, of Haringey CID Aquisitive Crime Unit, said: "The officers that spotted Reid carrying the laptop and stopped and searched him before the burglary was even reported did a fantastic job.

“Without their instinct and professionalism this successful prosecution wouldn't have been possible."



Dying Man Dragged Down Stairs Into Street

A man who fatally injured his drinking-buddy of ten years with a flurry of punches after being spat in the face – then dragged his friend down flights of stairs and along the street – has been jailed for three years.

A crowd gathered in the East London street where the body of Zahir Bouchia, 43, (pic.top) had been dragged eighty metres by his long-time friend.

Nadeem Yasin, 43, (pic.bottom) of Shaw House, Claremont Street, North Woolwich pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to the manslaughter of Mr. Bouchia on May 21, last year.

Police were called to Woodman Parade, Woodman Street at 8.20pm, where the victim was lying and he was rushed to the Royal London Hospital in critical condition.

He died two weeks later on June 7 of head and chest injuries.

The Algerians had fallen out after Yasin moved in as a lodger with Mr. Bouchia's girlfriend.

During an argument Mr. Bouchia spat in Yasin's face and the defendant responded by punching him to the head three times.

The victim fell unconscious to the floor and Yasin dragged him down seven short flights of stairs and onto the street where he called for an ambulance.

He told the crowd who gathered that he had assaulted the victim.