London’s “most notorious phone thief” has been sentenced to two years in prison after stealing 24 phones in a single morning.

28-year-old Sonny Stringer raced through the capital on an electric motorcycle at speeds of up to 80 km/h, stealing cell phones from unsuspecting citizens.

In just over an hour on March 26, he and his accomplice stole around £20,000 worth of mobile phones by sneaking up behind their victims on silent, high-speed motorbikes.

At 10:15 a.m., a woman standing near Baker Street tube station looking for directions had her phone snatched from her hand.

At 10:30 a.m., Stringer snatched another mobile phone from a woman near Marble Arch.

London’s “most notorious phone thief”, Sonny Stringer, 28, from Islington, was sentenced to two years in prison after stealing 24 phones in a single morning

In just over an hour on March 26, Stringer and his accomplice stole around £20,000 worth of mobile phones by sneaking up behind the victims on silent, high-speed motorbikes.

Eight minutes later, he targeted NHS technician Tyler Myson near South Kensington tube station, who recalled: “I was just walking down the street, texting on my phone, when suddenly someone on an e-bike came from behind and snatched it out of my hand.”

“It all happened so fast. He was on a Surron bike and I know they can go faster than 40 miles an hour.

“I tried to sprint after him, but then his friend came and sped past me on his bike to intimidate me even more. I was devastated.”

When the control rooms of Scotland Yard and the City of London Police were flooded with reports of theft, they launched a hunt for the perpetrator, whom they called “London’s most notorious phone thief.”

Control room officer Lynn Newins recalled: “We had the cameras circulating on Cheapside and informed the officers of the phone thieves’ tracks.”

“I remember saying they were ‘going like the plague’ and I could see that people in public had to be careful not to get hit by them.”

Video footage shows Stringer riding his electric bike in front of a bus in Cheapside, in the heart of London’s financial district.

This is the dramatic moment PC Smith raced into Stringer to knock the thief off his bike

Stringer and his accomplice crossed a pedestrian crossing, narrowly missing one pedestrian while another had to run away to avoid being hit.

He was just about to ride onto the pavement towards a family with a stroller when Highway Patrol Officer PC Jordon Smith pushed Stringer off his bike with his vehicle.

He told the Mail: “When my partner and I first saw Stringer, he was coming around a bus and was about to step onto the pavement where a mother was standing holding a small child by the hand and pushing a stroller.”

“These motorcycles can reach speeds of up to 110 km/h and are quite heavy. If he had hit the mother and her children, he could have killed or seriously injured them.”

“I had to make a decision immediately, but I knew immediately that it was the right thing.”

Last Thursday, Stringer, from Islington, north London, was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting theft, dangerous driving and possessing no insurance cover at Isleworth Crown Court.

Chief Superintendent William Duffy said: “Mobile phone theft has a significant impact on victims and it is right that Stringer was sentenced to a custodial sentence for stealing mobile phones on London’s streets.”

“The successful capture and prosecution of a notorious phone thief shows that the City of London Police is committed to tracking down and bringing to justice those who steal from people on our streets.”