What a coward! Mugger, 25, jailed for targeting Rainham schoolgirls

A cowardly mugger who only targeted vulnerable schoolgirls was jailed for four years today.

Ade Afariogun, 25, would ride his bike around schools in Rainham where he would single out young girls walking on their own before attempting to take their mobile phones.

His first victim was walking home from school when she was approached by Afariogun, of Betula Walk, Rainham, who snatched the mobile phone and rode off on November 11, 2013.

He targeted another girl aged 11 six days later before a failed attempt at robbing a third young girl on November 19.

Afariogun had only recently been released on licence from a three year prison sentence after committing an attempted robbery in 2009, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Judge David Radford, sentencing, said: “They all had a similar pattern and you clearly decided to target young people to seek to relieve them of things you successfully did on one victim.

“You plainly attempted to commit robberies of this kind on separate victims but police enquiries were undertaken and you were interviewed.

“You put forward lies and made completely untruthful excuses as to where you were.

“The three young victims had to enter an identity parade and each and every one of them witnesses picked you out.

“These were vulnerable victims and these were of an age where these offences would be distressing for the victims.”

The mugger claimed he was on drugs when he committed the offences and so did not know what he was doing.

Afariogun admitted a single count of robbery and two of attempted robbery.