Two serial thieves jailed for London pub rucksack thefts

Two serial thieves have been jailed after a City-linked spree of bag and laptop thefts at London pubs, with CCTV capturing the moments one of the men leaned over a pub barrier to reach a victim’s rucksack.

Daniel Ramzi, 26, and Abderrahim Mamma, 29, both of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to four counts of theft each in separate courts. The offences stretched across different venues on the same day and included a sequence in which the pair moved through a Leadenhall Market pub, reached for a man’s rucksack, and removed a laptop before returning the bag to the floor and departing. Earlier that day they had stolen a mobile phone from a coat pocket at a Bishopsgate fast-food restaurant, and they later took another laptop from inside a bag at a licensed premises on Gracechurch Street.

Six days after the Leadenhall Market incident, the pair went into a pub on Old Broad Street. In that incident, Ramzi slid a bag out from a pile and swapped it with a different bag, then approached another group and carried out another bag swap before leaving the premises. The sequence shows a methodical approach to targeting patrons’ belongings across multiple venues in a single day.

Mamma was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court to twenty months in prison and received a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from entering the City of London. Ramzi was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to fourteen months in prison. The pair, who were described as prolific bag thieves, had admitted to four theft counts each and Mamma additionally admitted to seven theft offences committed outside the City.

Sergeant James Wood, of the Proactive Acquisitive Crime Team at the City of London Police, said the sentences represented a strong outcome for public safety. “This is another great result in seeing two prolific bag thieves behind bars,” he said. “We hope that these sentences will give reassurance to businesses and members of the public that we take such offences very seriously. Our warning to criminals: don't come into the City to steal bags. We will bring those committing crimes in the City to justice and we will use all of our resources to help prevent and deter any further criminal activities.”

The City of London Police emphasized that the investigations and prosecutions were part of ongoing efforts to deter opportunistic theft around busy commercial areas. Authorities noted that the offenders’ operations showed a pattern of targeting travelers and workers during peak hours, and urged members of the public to remain vigilant and secure personal belongings in crowded spaces.