A prolific phone and bag snatcher, Hasani Chakron, aged 27, residing on King’s Cross Road, Islington, has been handed a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to a spree of thefts that left lone women on the Tube and patrons in bars as victims of his crimes.
Chakron, a member of a gang that specialized in targeting vulnerable passengers, was sentenced for stealing five phones, three bags, and a laptop. His modus operandi involved lurking on platforms and Tube carriages, searching for unsuspecting victims to prey upon.
Prosecutor Matilda Robinson-Murphy recounted some of the terrifying incidents in court. One woman was traveling home from work on the Piccadilly Line,” she explained. Three men, including the defendant, entered the carriage, and just as the doors were closing, one man grabbed her phone, and they all ran off the carriage.
On another occasion, Chakron was seated across from a woman on the Piccadilly Line when he abruptly lunged at her in an attempt to snatch her phone. These phone thefts took place between December 2020 and January 2021, mainly on the Piccadilly and Jubilee lines.
Chakron was apprehended on January 3, 2021, but initially denied involvement in the thefts. He admitted being present during two of the incidents but claimed he was merely holding the stolen phone at the request of a friend.
However, in July 2022, Chakron once again found himself on the wrong side of the law when he stole a laptop from an employee at Costa Coffee in Westminster. Matilda Robinson-Murphy recounted the incident, stating, “The store manager informed them they cannot use the tables without buying anything. The manager later went for a lunch break and when he returned he noticed his laptop had been taken from his bag. The manager tracked his laptop to another Costa Coffee in Finsbury Station, where he found Chakron and confronted him. When he started filming Chakron, he was handed his laptop back.”
Chakron’s criminal activities continued into October and November 2022, during which he targeted people at various bars and pubs within the city, stealing three bags.
When arrested and questioned about these additional thefts, Chakron initially claimed to have been out of the country at the time. However, he later admitted guilt in a total of nine thefts and two attempted thefts.
Chakron’s barrister, James Higbee, addressed the court during his sentencing, revealing that Chakron’s motivation for the crimes was rooted in his addiction to crack cocaine. Higbee also mentioned that Chakron had since undergone drug rehabilitation while in custody and was now drug-free.
Despite his client’s criminal past, Higbee stated, “Whatever he was up to during those years, it’s not something he wants to be involved in anymore. He is an asylum seeker. He was living in a black economy, as he wasn’t allowed to work in this country. These are just explanations, of course, but nobody should resort to what he did.”
In her verdict, Judge Rosina Cottage KC sentenced Hasani Chakron to a two-year prison term, marking the end of a series of criminal activities that had left many victims traumatized and in fear for their safety.
