Nigerian-born immigrant, Wasiu Smith, 26, went berserk and mugged four men in an ‘out-of-control’ crime spree, has been jailed five years.
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Wasiu stole several phones, a work laptop and an heirloom ring worth £600 during a series of robberies outside Farringdon Tube station on November 4, DailyMail reported.
He claimed that he had travelled to the area simply to see the Christmas lights, even when they were not turned on.
Smith was born in Nigeria but has a Dutch passport. He has lived in the UK since 2019, and settled in Shropshire, later moving to Walsall.
Robbery spree
One of Smith’s victims was Alex Belsham-Harris, head of Energy Consumer Markets at the charity Citizens Advice, prosecutor Adrian Yallan told the court.
Mr Belsham-Harris had just left the gym when Smith, with a scarf pulled over his face, lunged towards him and delivered a series of blows behind his ear.
He then made off with Mr Belsham-Harris’s bag, which contained his work laptop.
After the attack, Mr Belsham-Harris was dizzy and could barely stand. He sought refuge in a nearby Tesco, the prosecutor told the court.
Bonny Wambulu had been standing outside his office on Farringdon Road when Smith ‘ran towards him at speed’ and told him not to move.
He repeatedly shouted ‘give me money’ and acted as though he was concealing a weapon in his pocket.
Panicked, Mr Wambulu put his hands up and told Smith he didn’t have any money.
Smith’s third victim, Alexander Burgess, had just had an opal ring repaired at a jewellers and was walking towards Farringdon station.
Smith spotted the ring and made frantic gestures to Mr Burgess, threatening to punch him while again acting like he was concealing a weapon.
Mr Burgess handed the ring over and Smith threatened to punch him again, telling the victim to ‘go away’.
His fourth victim was Michael Evesque, a managing director of lighting company Bert Frank, who had been walking towards his office on Farringdon Road.
Smith had been ‘standing in the middle of the pavement’ with his arms and legs outstretched to block people walking past, the court was told.
Police officers later caught up with Smith on a bus with the stolen property and a wrap of crack cocaine.
When questioned, Smith claimed the opal ring and stolen rucksack were his, that he had been attacked by unknown individuals, and the drugs were planted. DailyMail
