Banker ran out of his home in his underwear to tackle moped-riding thief trying to rob his Mercedes

An investment banker ran out of his London home in his underwear to tackle a moped robber who was trying to break into his Mercedes in the street. 

Video footage captured Stephen Canny, 33, grappling with the thief outside his apartment in Chelsea before throwing him to the ground and pinning him down. 

The city worker was watching television with his girlfriend when they heard the back windows of their two Mercedes A200s being smashed. 

Mr Canny immediately sprinted outside to confront Leon de Silva, 19, who was clad in full motorbike gear and a helmet having been on a robbing spree in the west of the capital.

As they wrestled, the former amateur rugby player shouted: "You picked the wrong car - you're going to pay for this in jail."

The teenager, who ended up with two black eyes, can be seen in the video attempting to wriggle out from underneath Mr Caddy, but executive director for Volcap Trading, is heard shouting: "You ain't going nowhere mate. You must be stupid."

Asked if he would do the same thing if confronted with the same situation, the former back rower for Campion RFC in Romford, Essex, told MailOnline: "Of course I'd do it again. If it happened again tonight, I'd do the same thing again and I wouldn't even think about it.

"Why should I allow people to break into my property and damage my vehicle? Where I come from, that's not acceptable.

"I'm absolutely not having someone rob my car with me sitting upstairs. If I'm out and it happens, there's nothing I can do about it. But not when I'm sitting upstairs." 

Before targeting the investment banker de Silva and an accomplice, who is still at large, stole more than £1,000 worth of goods in Chelsea and Fulham earlier that night.

On Ellerby Street, Fulham, de Silva robbed lawyer Stephen Wisking and stole a Dell Laptop, an Apple iPad Pro, €100 in cash, a blue canvas bag containing paperwork and another black bag from his BMW X5.

He went on to Roskell Road, Putney, and stole Bose headphones and a red bag containing books and documents belonging to William Bond.

In a third robbery at Beaufort Street in Chelsea de Silva stole a black holdall and ID documents from Ashley Fromberg.

Mr Canny's girlfriend, who asked not to be named, said: "We were sitting on the sofa when we heard the first window smash and looked out the window and then my boyfriend, who was just in his pants, ran down and tackled him to the ground.

"He was trying to get away and he just pinned him down, my boyfriend used to play rugby so this guy didn't have much of a chance.

"There were two of them, one on a moped as a getaway vehicle and the other guy. They were smashing into cars and did in about six others that night too.

"I did a bit of shouting myself, but he was the one who was wrestling this man to the ground.

"The moped driver tried to punch him a couple of times but it didn't seem to be making much of a difference so he drove off and left his mate behind.

"There were about 20 people watching in the end."

The two Mercedes belonging to Mr Canny and his girlfriend were the thieves' fourth target.

He pinned de Silva to the ground opposite Gordon Ramsay's Maze Grill restaurant in Chelsea in front of passersby at around 9.30pm on March 7.

During the brawl de Silva's accomplice, who is still on the run from police, began to punch brave Mr Canny but gave up and fled on a getaway moped.

De Silva, of no fixed abode, was left battered with two black eyes and was sent to a young offenders institution for 18 months at Isleworth Crown Court after pleading guilty to a string of offences.

The teenager's offending also saw him breach a six month sentence suspended for 24 months he received in February last year for dangerous driving when he hit a pavement on the wrong side of the road.

He pleaded guilty to eight charges - three counts of theft from a motor vehicle, two counts of criminal damage, handling stolen goods, a single count of assault with intent to resist arrest and breaching a previous suspended sentence.