'Cinderella' phone snatcher jailed for 15 months

A man dubbed as the "Cinderella" phone snatcher by the City of London Police has been jailed for 15 months after DNA from his lost shoe linked him to the theft.

While riding an e-bike Spencer Duarte, from Saffron Waldon, Essex grabbed a phone from his unsuspecting victim in Ludgate Hill on 7 August. He was then tackled by members of the public and fled, losing his trainer shoe in the process.

The 29-year-old was sentenced on 24 September at Inner London Crown Court after admitting one count of theft in June.

The police force found DNA left on the shoe which identified Duarte on the national database and he was arrested a month later on 9 September.

The incident was captured on CCTV, which also showed Duarte wearing one shoe after he managed to get away.

Spencer Duarte was traced using DNA from a shoe he had lost whilst being tackled by pedestrians

PC Jake Dean said: "This is a fantastic result and we've put another phone snatcher behind bars.

"This might seem like just one phone, but this conviction shows the determination of police officers in catching phone snatching criminals and returning devices to victims."

The police added the victim had been left fearful of visiting London and he had suffered ill health as a result of the incident.

Physical forensics manager Andrew Walker, of the City of London Police, explained how they had used DNA to catch Duarte.

"We were able to get sufficient levels of DNA from the shoe to obtain a single, major profile that was suitable for searching against the national DNA database.

"This search generated a 'hit' to a male whose profile had previously been uploaded. The slipper fitted our Cinderella and we were able to bring him before the courts."