Homeless man, 25, 'kicked out for no good reason' stole bag from Wetherspoons drinker 'to pay for food'
A man who stole bags from pub-goers so he could hawk the items to pay for food and shelter was made homeless 'for no good reason', a court heard. Ali Tarafi, a 25-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan, was jailed for 27 weeks at Inner London Crown Court on Wednesday (September 18) after he admitted thieving from two drinkers outside pubs on Farringdon Road earlier this year.
He was caught when police noticed him acting suspiciously on Shoe Lane, finding him in possession of a rucksack stolen from Mr Hornsby, who was drinking at the Sir John Oldcastle, a Wetherspoons pub near Farringdon railway station, at around 8:30pm on June 11 2024. The bag contained Mr Hornsby's Dell laptop, debit cards, and driving license, totalling around £500.
Police were able to link Tarafi to the theft with CCTV, and to an earlier theft at another nearby pub in March this year. On that occasion he stole a bag from an Australian woman containing two laptops, a Kindle e-reader, Apple AirPods, and her driving license. The total value of the goods was estimated by the prosecution to be £3,000-4,000, and she reported being 'out of pocket'.
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The woman also said someone had attempted to use her bank card to pay for things, however Tarafi was not charged with fraud. After his arrest, Tarafi made no comment to police and was charged with two counts of theft. He was remanded into custody this June, so will be released immediately having already served 40 per cent of his sentence.
Defendant 'acted out of desperation'
Defence counsel Syed Ahmed said Tarafi's circumstances were 'not very uncommon' as he explained his asylum seeker status had left him with no recourse to public funds. The court heard he was drawn to crime to fund his living costs. The barrister said Tarafi had acted 'impulsively', but had pledged to seek help from charities in future when he is likely to need food and shelter.
"He was kicked out of the accommodation he was provided with for no good reason, so he was living on the street to survive. That's why we see the escalation in offending from stealing food from shops, to stealing things to sell for money to eat and sleep somewhere," said Mr Ahmed, adding: "He says that's why he did it, and he acknowledged his desperation."
Recorder Philip Brook-Smith KC said he had considered Tarafi's personal mitigation, while acknowledging his previous convictions for theft as an aggravating feature. Though the thefts were some months apart, the judge made the sentences concurrent 'because of the mitigation, his remorse, and progress in prison'.
The sentence means Tarafi will be released this week. If he offends again and receives a sentence of more than 12 months, he could be deported.
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