Lawyer who acted for Litvinenko widow targeted by moped raider at bus stop

A top lawyer today called for tougher action to tackle moped crime in London as she revealed how the theft of her smartphone has left her feeling “violated and vulnerable”.

Elena Tsirlina, 42, who has represented Marina, the wife of murdered former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, revealed how she was hit on the head and her phone snatched as she travelled home from work.

She said a moped mounted the pavement and she was knocked on the head before her iPhone 6 was snatched during the ordeal in north London.

“It feels very unsafe to be walking the streets,” she said. “I feel violated and very vulnerable. It turns your world upside down as you have a perception about your safety and that is turned on its head.”

Ms Tsirlina, who specialises in immigration, nationality, asylum and human rights, was attacked outside Finchley Road Underground station at about 10.30pm on September 5.

“I took out my phone to check bus times as the display at the stop was broken, and I think someone from the oncoming traffic must have seen the light from my phone,” she said.

“The moped mounted the pavement, someone knocked me on the head, but I had no time to register anything before my phone was grabbed out of my hand and they took off at lightning speed.

“I’m usually very aware of my surroundings but the speed at which it happened took me by surprise.”

She added: “I had night terrors after it happened and I am still in a state of shock.”

The Metropolitan Police dealt with 18,332 crimes committed using mopeds in the 12 months to August 28, 2018 — an average of around 352 each week.

But figures show Scotland Yard solved only 2.6 per cent of moped crimes in the year to April, compared with 3.1 per cent the previous year.

High-profile victims have included comedian Michael McIntyre, who was robbed by two men on a moped while he was parked outside his children’s school in Golders Green in June.

Ms Tsirlina, who works for Charles Douglas, said: “I would like to see police do more to prevent this, working in collaboration with charities to raise awareness and advise people on how to stay safe, or running a campaign at every underground station.”

Scotland Yard has launched a series of measures to tackle moped crime, including using tagging sprays and deploying officers on scrambler bikes.

Other methods include throwing down stinger spikes to deflate tyres and posing as takeaway delivery drivers or using plain-clothes snatch squads to grab moped suspects. The moves have helped cut moped-related offending by as much as half in recent months.

A Met Police spokesman said officers were investigating the theft of the phone and there had been no arrests.