A 18-year-old Nigerian man caught in the act of committing an ATM robberies at local shops by police has been convicted at court.
The convict, Joseph Oluwasanni of Lucerne Way, Harold Hill, Romford, pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, June 23 of five counts of robbery.
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He was remanded in custody to appear for sentencing at the same court on Tuesday, 7 September, Metropolitan Police stated.
The robberies were committed against separate victims on different days between Saturday, 24 April and Wednesday, 5 May at TSB ATM on Hilldene Avenue, Harold Hill.
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In all cases, Oluwasanni approached the person using the machine and either distracted them or pushed them out of the way to gain access to the machine and steal cash.
In response to the robberies, detectives from East Area Command Gangs Unit were deployed to conduct plain clothed patrols in the area around ATM.
Details of the five offences are:
Incident 1: Saturday, 24 April at 10:48hrs. Oluwasanni approached an 83-year-old man who was using the ATM, told him the machine was not working before pushing him aside and taking £200 from the machine.
Incident 2: Tuesday, 27 April at 10:35hrs. A 71-year-old woman was approached by Oluwasanni, again saying the machine wasn’t working, pushed the victim out of the way and took £200.
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Incident 3: Saturday, 1 May at 10:40hrs. A 68-year-old woman was pushed away from the ATM immediately she had entered her pin number. Oluwasanni withdrew £200 from her account.
Incident 4: Tuesday, 4 May at 10:55hrs. A man, aged in his 40s, was using the machine when Oluwasanni reached across him and pressed the button to withdraw £200 before snatching the cash.
Incident 5: Wednesday, 5 May at 15:00hrs. A 70-year-old man was using the ATM when Oluwasanni pushed him out of the way and took £200 in cash from the machine.
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Detective Sergeant Stephen Katete of the East Area Command Burglary and Robbery Investigation Team said;
While it is almost laughable that Oluwasanni was robbing people at the nearest ATM to his home address, there is no humour to be found in the impact that his actions will have had on the people that he targeted, four of whom were pensioners.
None of the victims were seriously injured during the robberies, but as police are acutely aware, there are often long-lasting effects to becoming a victim of crime, many of which run far deeper than a loss of cash.
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He stated;
As if to add insult to injury, he initially had the temerity to plead not guilty, despite having been caught in the act by police officers.
I hope that the guilty plea he entered today that has resulted in his conviction goes some small way to restoring the personal confidence of the victims in this case and that they feel that justice has been served.
