A robber who bit a 75-year-old woman on the hand to steal her wedding ring has in Hackney, London, has been imprisoned.
24-year-old Monique Roach, of no fixed abode, showed up at her elderly victim’s home in March and asked for £10. When the pensioner tried to close the door, Roach blocked it, “bit the victim’s left hand, took her wedding ring and ran off,” according to an official statement from the Metropolitan Police.
Officers identified Roach using CCTV evidence and forensic evidence from a handprint left on the 75-year-old’s door, but securing a conviction was complicated by the fact the crime took place at the height of the anti-coronavirus lockdown, and the fact that the victim was considered at risk due to her age and extensive contact with police and attend an identity parade.
The investigating officer ultimately got the job done by setting up “a bespoke identification centre at the victim’s address”, with police attending her in full protective gear.
Roach was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for the robbery and a further year for blackmailing another individual, described by police as a “vulnerable” man in his fifties — although convicts in Britain are in almost all cases automatically freed on licence halfway or, more rarely, two-thirds of the way through their terms.
A woman has been jailed for biting a pensioner’s hand to steal her wedding ring. Monique Roach, 24, was jailed for a total of seven years for the offence in Hackney in March ://ow.ly/FlEq30r4Vgd pic.twitter.com/7XYmnXcGcp
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 18, 2020
“This was a callous and heartless robbery whereby Roach targeted a vulnerable lady in her own home. The violence she used left the victim terrified and fearing for her safety, at a time of significant uncertainty as we all navigated our way through Coronavirus restrictions and risks,” commented Investigating Officer Detective Constable Jack Downey.
“We did not let the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic stop us from effectively investigating this case. I am grateful to colleagues across the Met who made the identification of this suspect possible and also want to praise the bravery of the victim who – at a time where she felt incredibly vulnerable due to the risks posed by Coronavirus – allowed us to support her through this process,” he added.
“I am pleased that Roach has been brought to justice for this brazen crime.”
Khan’s London: Bloodshed in the Capital with Three Shootings and Multiple Stabbings over the Weekend https://t.co/iDSFXBiIb7
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 2, 2020
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