Plaistow robber preyed on elderly and vulnerable

A 17-year-old Plaistow boy, part of a violent east London gang who targeted and robbed pensioners, has been jailed for two years.

The accused, who cannot be named, was among 12 youths aged 15-19 years, convicted of conspiracy to rob earlier this spring.

Between them the gang, many from Ilford and others parts of Essex, received sentences totalling 38 years at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

The court heard how a gang member was placed inside a high-street bank and wait for a potential victim., usually a vulnerable or elderly person withdrawing a large sum of money.

He would alert other gang members on the street outside who would then pounce on the target victim in broad daylight and flee with the stolen cash.

The series of robberies took place in and around Ilford town centre, Gant’s Hill and Newbury Park and netted almost �10,000.

Searches of their home addresses revealed a photograph of some gang members posing with a large quantity of money, taken less than an hour after a robbery where �5,000 was stolen.