4yrs in jail for offender who robbed a man on a bus

September 18, 2012, 5:39 pm

A 26 year old man has today been jailed for four years for a robbery on a bus in Harrow.

Andrew White, of College Road, Harrow was sentenced at The Old Bailey on Tuesday 18 September 2012.

The sentence follows an investigation by the Workplace Violence Unit – part of the Transport for London (TfL) funded, Metropolitan Police Service Safer Transport Command (STC).

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The incident occurred on a route 182 bus travelling on Station Road towards Harrow Bus Station at about 8pm on Wednesday 29 February 2012. The victim, a 20 year old male, boarded the bus and sat upstairs. White, who was already on the bus, approached the victim and asked him “what have you got for me?” before intimating that he had a knife concealed in his clothing.

White then asked him how much money he had and took about £10 from the victim. He continued to sit next to the victim and eventually got up and alighted at Harrow Town Centre.

The victim continued his journey home and later reported the incident to police.

Officers from the Workplace Violence Unit were made aware of the incident and obtained CCTV footage from the bus, which lead to White being identified. White was arrested on 23 March and clothing he wore during the robbery was seized.

He was charged and remanded in custody to appear at Harrow Magistrates Court on 23 March. The case was transferred to the Old Bailey on 15 August and following a three-day trial, White was found guilty.

Chief Superintendent Sultan Taylor, Safer Transort Command, said: “This was an excellent result which has seen a violent offender taken out of circulation and receive a robust judicial outcome.

“The partnership of the Safer Transport Command with Transport for London has a primary aim to safeguard the travelling public and provide a safe and secure transport network.”

“If you commit an offence on the transport network, you will be caught and if convicted so our message is clear: Crime on London’s bus system will NOT be tolerated – we will get those responsible using any lawful means at our disposal.

Steve Burton, Director of Community Safety Enforcement and Policing at TfL, said: “This type of intimidating and threatening behaviour towards one of our passengers will not be tolerated, and thanks to the efforts of the Workplace Violence Unit Mr. White has been handed the sentence that he deserves. All of our passengers should be able to travel without the fear of being attacked, and although crime on London’s buses has fallen in recent years, we will continue to work with the Metropolitan Police to minimise offences and ensure that the bus network remains a safe, low-crime environment