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Knifemen shut worker in cupboard
£4k laptops in Town Hall heist
KNIFE-wielding robbers calmly signed a Town Hall visitors
book before forcing a charity worker to crawl into a cupboard
and then making off with £4,000 worth of computer equipment.
The attack, which happened last Monday at the old Hampstead
Town Hall on Haverstock Hill, saw terrified staff threatened
as the raiders ransacked offices.
But yesterday Dr Alan Tomkins, the chief executive of the Interchange
Trust, which runs community, arts, and mental health services
told the New Journal he would not turn the centre into an “Alcatraz”.
Adding security had been stepped up he called the thieves “despicable”,
and likened them to criminals who assault lollipop men, saying:
“Somebody said we’ll have to keep the place locked
up, we almost feel like we should provide a metal fence around
the place but this defeats the purpose of the centre.”
The thieves tricked their way past reception, stopping to sign
the visitors book, before forcing a graphic designer at knifepoint
onto the floor.
While one thief stripped the victim of his watch, his wallet
and his mobile phone, an accomplice packed away seven Apple
and Samsung laptops.
The designer, who was working late designing leaflets for local
charities, was then forced into a metal cupboard while the robbers
made their getaway.
The charity worker eventually managed to escape, calling on
a colleague to raise the alarm.
The victim, who is in his late 20s, was left shaken by the ordeal
and has taken time off work to come to terms with the experience.
Chief executive Dr Tomkins commended the victim, saying: “When
I saw him speaking to police officers he looked white as a sheet.
He had the courage not to oppose them and let them get on with
the job. He’s a very bright, helpful, cheerful person.
“It’s despicable that people break in to a charity
and steal from its staff. Why should they be put in the firing
line?”
Forensic officers are examining the visitors book for clues
and officers are sifting through CCTV evidence.
Detectives are appealing for information from anyone who may
have seen the two offenders.
Both wore hooded tops, while one had a moustache and the other
masked his face with a checked bandana. |
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