Officers arrest thief within seconds of him swiping victim's iPhone at Kings Cross - London

A pickpocket was caught red handed and soon jailed after swiping a phone off an unsuspecting commuter at Kings Cross station.

The crime happened on the Victoria Line platform, within eyesight of two plain clothed British Transport Police officers.

The thief, Zakaria Cenouci, walked behind a lone woman, snuck his hand into one of her coat pockets, stole an Iphone X, then U-turned and stormed away.

The victim shouted “Hey!” after him as he left, but officers were already onto Cenouci, arresting him and giving the woman back her phone.

The incident happened on Thursday 30^th June at around 5.15pm.

Cenouci, 23, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with theft and possession of a class B drug.

He pleaded guilty to both offences at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday 2 July and was jailed for six weeks. He will also pay the victim £152.

Zakaria Cenouci custody image:

Inspector Sharon Turner of BTPs Priority Crime Taskforce said: “This was a quick turn around by our officers. From the immediate arrest of Cenouci to his charge and jailing soon after.

“Our team is committed to ensuring passengers can travel safely with their belongings.

“We’ll always ask the public to make the jobs of thieves more difficult by keeping a close eye on their own belongings and being aware that thieves do choose to operate in crowded environments, which can often mean busy railway stations.”