Woman in a critical condition after moped gang attack
The attack comes amid a spate of moped crime, with gangs raiding a jewellery store and robbing comedian Michael McIntyre.
Tuesday 5 June 2018 21:03, UK
A woman is in a critical condition in hospital after two men on a moped punched her and stole her mobile phone.
The 24-year-old woman was walking in Holyrood Gardens, Edgware, when she was assaulted by the passenger of the motorcycle around 9.10pm on Monday night - falling backwards and suffering a serious head injury.
She was taken to a central London hospital where she remains critically ill.
The attack is the latest in a spate of raids and robberies by moped gangs, with more than 16,000 scooter-related crimes recorded in the year from June 2016.
Less than 24 hours after the assault, a moped gang wielding knives and hammers raided a jewellery store in London's Regent Street.
Police were called to Watches of Switzerland store just before 10.20am on Tuesday, but only apprehended one suspect after the rest of the gang fled on their bikes.
Footage of the crime showed thieves ramming a scooter into the door of the luxury store, and in the aftermath of the raid two bikes and a large knife were seen abandoned in the street.
The raid left a scene of destruction, with displays of silver and jewelled watches stripped completely bare, and a police spokesman said "several items of property" were stolen.
:: Police adopt new tactics to tackle moped thieves after rise in violent crime
The Metropolitan Police last year introduced new tactics to tackle moped crime in the capital, including shooting metal spikes which puncture suspects' tyres and a DNA tagging spray.
They say the measures have been successful in reducing the number of similar offences, with moped-related crime peaking at 2,592 in July 2017 but dropping by 52% to 1,238 in March this year.
But the rate of scooter related crime remains much higher than it was: numbers of recorded attacks more than tripled between 2015 and 2017.
Tuesday's robbery was the second time Watches of Switzerland has been targeted in the past few months, with a raid in March which saw a moped gang using sledgehammers to smash their way into the store.
Other jewellery stores have also been targeted, with Mappin & Webb, also in Regent Street, and Boodles of Chelsea both hit in 2017.
Earlier on Monday, comedian Michael McIntyre was also targeted by two "hammer-wielding thieves" on a moped while waiting to pick up his son from school.
The robbers smashed the windows of his Range Rover before stealing a Rolex watch from his wrist, believed to be worth thousands of pounds. No-one was injured in the attack.
Officers from Brent are investigating Monday night's attack while its female victim remains in a critical condition in hospital.
"We need to catch these males before they strike again," Detective Sergeant Richard Lewsley said.
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting CAD 7898/04 June, or @MetCC.