Harold Hill man convicted after robbing four pensioners at ATM
Harold Hill-based Joseph Oluwasanni has been convicted of five ATM robberies - Credit: Metropolitan Police
A Harold Hill man caught robbing a 70-year-old at his local ATM by police has admitted five charges in court.
Joseph Oluwasanni, 18, of Lucerne Way, Harold Hill, Romford, was seen pushing the pensioner out of the way and taking £200 in cash from the machine on May 5.
Oluwasanni pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court yesterday (June 23) of five counts of robbery.
He was remanded in custody to appear for sentencing at the same court on Tuesday, September 7.
The robberies were committed against separate victims on different days between Saturday, April 24 and Wednesday, May 5 at the TSB ATM on Hilldene Avenue, Harold Hill.
In all cases, Oluwasanni approached the person using the machine and either distracted or pushed them to gain access to the machine and steal cash.
The victims were aged between 40 and 83, and the teenager stole £200 from each person.
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In response to the robberies, detectives from the East Area Command gangs unit were deployed to conduct plain clothed patrols in the area around the ATM.
The officers caught Oluwasanni in his fifth crime, as he attempted to make off with £200 from a 70-year-old man at the machine.
He was arrested and taken to an east London police station, where he was charged on Thursday, May 6 with five counts of robbery.
Det Sgt Stephen Katete of the East Area Command burglary and robbery investigation team said: “While it is almost laughable that Oluwasanni was robbing people at the nearest ATM to his home address, there is no humour to be found in the impact that his actions will have had on the people that he targeted, four of whom were pensioners.
“None of the victims were seriously injured during the robberies, but as police are acutely aware, there are often long-lasting effects to becoming a victim of crime, many of which run far deeper than a loss of cash.
“As if to add insult to injury, he initially had the temerity to plead not guilty, despite having been caught in the act by police officers.
“I hope that the guilty plea he entered today that has resulted in his conviction goes some small way to restoring the personal confidence of the victims in this case and that they feel that justice has been served.”
