Woman shocked to find phone stolen in Stratford mugging turn up in China

A woman who had her phone snatched off her by a thief on a bike in east London has discovered her phone nearly 6,000 miles away in China.

Emma Hall had her phone stolen on Stratford High Street at the end of April near her east London flat while she was walking to meet her husbands and friends at their local pub.

Recalling the theft the 44-year-old told the MailOnline: “I had my phone in my jacket pocket and as I crossed the road I took my phone out, literally just to text my husband to say 'get me a Prosecco, I'm on route'.

“As soon as I did three lads on bikes went right past me on the pavement and one grabbed my phone.

“The scary thing is they come so close and fast next to you. It was just so quick and I went over to the bar all shook up.”

The east Londoner managed to use the Find My iPhone app to erase her phone and trace it to two north London addresses. Then three weeks later it popped up in Shenzhen, which has been dubbed China’s Silicon Valley.

She described how the muggers were in their late teens or early twenties, dressed in black with their faces covered, and one wore a striped t-shirt.

Ms Hall explained that phone snatching is an “everyday occurrence” in Stratford, particularly close to the Olympic Park, Victoria Palace and Stratford International Station.

She added: “My friend had the exact same thing happen to him and they broke his wrist because he held onto his phone. He's had to have metal plates put in his wrist now.”

Last week London’s Victims’ Commissioner warned of the trauma that the phone snatching is inflicting on the public.

Claire Waxman said muggings were leaving victims suffering from long-term trauma and creating fear in public spaces and could have a “serious impact on a person’s sense of safety”.

The menace was brought into sharp focus earlier this month when a prolific mugger riding a high speed e-bike was brought to justice. Sonny Stringer, 28, from Islington, snatched mobile phones from 24 people in a day-long crime spree across central London.