By Ashley Young-
A londoner has been sentenced to two years in prison for his involvement in a spate of thefts targeting lone women on the London Tube and in bars.
Hasari Chakron fron Islington was part of a criminal gang and pleaded guilty to stealing five phones, three bags, and a laptop during his crime spree.
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Chakron and his accomplices strategically targeted vulnerable passengers on Tube platforms and carriages. According to prosecutor Matilda Robinson-Murphy, one of the incidents involved a woman on the Piccadilly Line who had her phone snatched by Chakron and two others just as the carriage doors were closing. On a separate occasion, Chakron lunged at a woman sitting across from him on the Piccadilly Line, attempting to grab her phone.
These phone thefts occurred between December 2020 and January 2021 on the Piccadilly and Jubilee lines. Chakron was arrested on January 3, 2021, initially denying involvement in the thefts. Despite admitting his presence during two incidents, he claimed to be holding the stolen phone for a friend.
Chakron came back into police attention in July 2022 when he stole a laptop from an employee at Costa Coffee in Westminster. The store manager, after tracking his laptop to another Costa Coffee in Finsbury Station, confronted Chakron, who returned the stolen laptop.
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Continuing his criminal activities, Chakron targeted people in bars and pubs in the city between October and November 2022, stealing three bags. Upon his arrest and questioning about these thefts, he falsely claimed to be out of the country at the time.
Representing Chakron at Inner London Crown Court, barrister James Higbee cited the motive behind the thefts as Chakron’s addiction to crack cocaine. Higbee informed the court that Chakron had completed a drug course while in custody and is now drug-free. Highlighting Chakron’s vulnerable status as an asylum seeker, Higbee explained that his client resorted to criminal activities due to his inability to work legally in the country.
Acknowledging Chakron’s guilty plea and efforts to address his addiction, Judge Rosina Cottage KC sentenced him to two years in prison.
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