“He preyed upon a teenager travelling alone, believing he would be an easy target”
A man ‘preyed’ on and robbed a teenager of their e-bike and e-scooter worth over £2,000, then threatened to hurt him if he didn’t or if they dialled 999. Jay Archibald, 23, of Loampit Vale in Lewisham, scoped his victim, 17, waiting for a lift on the platform of Stratford Overground station with an e-bike worth £1,500 and an e-scooter worth £700, on June 28 last year.
Archibald approached and grabbed the bike’s handlebars, asking how many volts it had and where the victim was from. He then said that the bike was his now and demanded the terrified teen gave it to him, before threatening to hurt him if he failed to give the bike over or if he got him arrested.
The victim gave them to him, which he then took on a Jubilee Line train. A few days later, July 2, a friend of the victim messaged him to say he had seen his bike posted on social media by an account selling it.
The victim recognised the bike as well as Archibald himself who was eventually arrested on Friday, November 29 2024. He appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, July 21, having previously pleaded guilty to Robbery and was sentenced to 3 years and nine months’ inside. He was also ordered to pay a £228 victim surcharge.
Detective Constable Olesia Berdova said: “I am very pleased with the outcome of this investigation. Archibald preyed upon a teenager travelling alone, believing he would be an easy target. As a result of the court’s sentence, he will now spend much of the next four years in prison.
“The incident had a massive impact on the victim and his sense of safety and security when travelling on the railway network. Thanks to his bravery and support, we have been able to bring Archibald to justice, and I hope that the lengthy prison sentence handed down provides some measure of peace and closure for the victim and his family.
“There is absolutely no place for robbery on the railway network, and if you’ve been the victim of a robbery or have witnessed one taking place, I urge you to report it to us by texting 61016. We’ll do everything in our power to secure justice for you.”
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