Thief steals Nottingham student's £2.4k savings but gets caution after paying her £1,000

A thief drained more than £2,000 from a Nottingham student's bank accounts after stealing her phone in a nightclub - leaving her with just a few pence to live off. The university student was on a night out in Nottingham city centre in February when she realised her phone was no longer in her back pocket.

When she was able to check her bank balances, £2,452 had been transferred out of her accounts – leaving her with 17p. Nottinghamshire Police then launched a several-month investigation that eventually led to the arrest of a 20-year-old man from Leicester.

Their suspect admitted finding his victim’s phone inside a nightclub along with her student ID, which included her date of birth. To unlock the iPhone, he told officers he tried entering the date of birth as the passcode and it worked.

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He admitted accessing the student’s mobile banking app and transferring £2,452 out of her accounts – which he said he then used to pay his own rent bills and university fees. He told officers he was sorry and that he committed the crime because he was struggling financially, Nottinghamshire Police said.

Officers updated the victim, who by now had been reimbursed by her banks. The thief then offered to pay her £1,000 compensation and to apologise for the distress.

The victim accepted this offer and so the thief – who had no previous convictions – received a conditional caution, in which he must comply with actions set out by Nottinghamshire Police. If he fails to comply with those conditions, which include paying the agreed compensation, he can be prosecuted. Police have not released the name of the man.

PC Ryan Prince, who is based at Central Police Station in the city centre, led the investigation. “This was a distressing ordeal for the victim and I am pleased we were able to locate and arrest the person responsible.

“He has expressed deep remorse for his actions and I am pleased he has apologised to his victim and agreed to pay her compensation. This was the first time this young offender has been arrested and experienced custody. He didn’t like it and whether it happens again is now entirely up to him.

“Finally, I would encourage people to make it difficult for criminals to steal your belongings by making sure your possessions are secure at all times. It is also important to ensure your devices are protected with strong passwords or passcodes in case they do end up in the wrong hands.”