Pair who stabbed City workers in 'rampage to steal as many phones as possible' jailed
Two men who stabbed and slashed City workers during a “rampage to steal as many phones as possible”, have each been jailed for 12-years.
Tyrone Dean, 24, and Louis Parkinson, 26, wore masks as they cycled around central London in October last year looking for victims to rob.
When brave passers-by attempted to stop the pair they used a knife to stab and slash them before making their escape.
Four people were injured in the attacks including a motorcycle courier, who was stabbed twice in the chest and suffered a collapsed lung.
A man and a woman also both received stab wounds to their arms, while another man required 52 stitches after being slashed in the face from the top of his cheekbone to his mouth.
‘You acted with appalling violence’
Sentencing them at Inner London Crown Court Judge Benedict Kelleher told Dean and Parkinson: “You acted with appalling violence. The incident caused widespread concern and national-media coverage. It was a truly shocking example of mindless violence and utter lawlessness.”
Prosecutor Sam Barker, said the pair had embarked on a “brazen spree” of theft and added: “When civic-minded members of the public sought to apprehend them, the defendants caused them savage injuries with a knife in their frantic attempts to escape.”
Paul Grange was robbed of his telephone in Fitzrovia shortly after 9am, while Nicholas Badger had his stolen on Bishopsgate around 45 minutes later.
Heroic members of the public
CCTV footage showed Dean and Parkinson cycled that morning from Fitzrovia to the Regent Street area, passing London landmarks and to streets that were busy with city workers and people going about their business “not because they were sightseeing, but because they were looking for people to rob of valuable items”, the prosecution said.
Detective Constable David Holmes, of the Major Crime Team at the City of London Police, said: “Dean and Parkinson were on a rampage to steal as many phones as possible that morning, starting around the West End before ending up in the City of London. Neither hesitated to use extreme violence when challenged and are a clear risk to the public.
“The actions of the members of the public were heroic and enabled us to collect vital evidence at the scene to assist with this investigation.
The pair, who both have lengthy criminal records stretching back to when they were youths, were each sentenced to 12 years in prison.
They will have to serve at least two-thirds of their jail sentences, and an extra five years on licence once released.
