A moped mugger who targeted lone women at night in a string of handbag snatches and used his girlfriend to try to raid the victims’ bank accounts has been jailed for more than six years.
Charlie Tunstall, 22, used a stolen moped to carry out nine robberies in a week, slashing handbag straps or dragging victims down the street until they let go of their possessions.
He roped his girlfriend of two years, Jodie Hammond, into his plan, sending her into local convenience stores with stolen bank cards in a bid to buy scratchcards, Isleworth crown court heard.
On Friday, Tunstall was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for the “despicable” series of muggings which left victims scared to walk alone in public and afraid they would fall victim to identity fraud.
A sobbing Hammond, 23, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for a year by Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh, after she told the court she had known the bank cards were stolen but did not know Tunstall was a moped mugger targeting women.
“Taking a handbag can be a profound violation for a victim because of the enormous stress, upset and fear that it causes,” the judge said. “Fear of such a crime leads a person to feel they have to restrict their lifestyle and activities.”
He said people who “facilitate the disposal and realisation of assets from this despicable offending can normally expect a prison sentence”.
But he spared Hammond a spell behind bars, saying she is unlikely to reoffend and has been reminded of her wrongdoing by daily tirades from her mother.
The court heard Tunstall and an unknown accomplice carried out the robberies between January 24 and 30 in Uxbridge.
Police traced the attempts to use the stolen bank cards back to Hammond and realised Tunstall was the robber when they found him living with her.
Tunstall, of no fixed address, admitted conspiracy to rob and taking a moped without the owner’s consent. Hammond, from Cowley, west London, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and six counts of fraud.
She was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service while Tunstall was banned from driving for four years and five months.
