00:00A phone thief has earned the nickname the Cinderella phone thief after leaving his shoe at the scene of the crime.
00:12Spencer Duarte, 28, was convicted after DNA retrieved from a shoe he lost during a theft in the City of London linked him directly to the incident.
00:24The theft occurred last year on the 7th of August on Ludgate Hill, where Duarte was tackled off his e-bike by members of the public after snatching a handset from a victim's hand.
00:37During the struggle, he lost one of his trainers. Despite managing to flee the scene, CCTV footage later captured him hobbling around with just one shoe.
00:48The City of London police officers sent the recovered trainer from the scene for forensic analysis. DNA testing revealed a match on a national database confirming Duarte's identity.
01:01Duarte, who is from Saffron Walden in Essex, appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to one count of theft he is scheduled to be sentenced in September of 2025.
01:19Andrew Walker, physical forensics manager at the City of London police, explained that the team had been able to obtain sufficient levels of DNA from the shoe to generate a clear single major profile, which was suitable for comparison against the national DNA database.
01:39He stated that the search produced a match to a man whose profile had already been uploaded.
01:46Now, phone theft remains a serious concern in London.
01:51According to the Metropolitan Police, over 57,000 phones were reported and sold in the capital in 2022.
01:59That's the latest data they have, equating to more than 150 a day.
02:04Opportunistic thefts, particularly involving e-bikes and mopeds, have become increasingly common, often targeting pedestrians using their phones in public spaces.
02:15But is it common for the average Londoner to be mugged?
02:20Do they know anyone that has been? Well, I took to the streets to find out.
02:23Well, it's terrible having had my own mobile phone stolen and it took so much time to sort out.
02:32It's very irritating. And for some people, it's their whole life because they have their business bank card on there and all their contacts and everything.
02:40So their life stops, doesn't it? I actually broke my shoulder when I was at Victoria and it was my own fault because I'd left my handbag slightly unzipped.
02:50And I think someone must have just thought, oh, she's broken her arm. She's got her arm in a sling.
