A man who stole 24 phones in one hour using an electric motorcycle has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Sonny Stringer, 28, from Islington in north London, previously admitted to stealing the phones while riding his electric bike at speeds of nearly 50 mph (80 km/h).

Stringer and an unknown accomplice rode electric motorbikes at high speed into the City of London on 26 March and the series of phone thefts occurred between 10:00 and 11:15am (BST).

“Mobile phone theft has a significant impact on victims and it is right that Stringer received a custodial sentence for stealing mobile phones on London’s streets,” said Ch Supt William Duffy of the City of London Police.

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

During the thefts, Stringer and his accomplice evaded a marked police car and ran across a pedestrian crossing, narrowly missing one pedestrian while another had to run away to avoid being hit.

According to the police report, Stringer was about to ride onto the sidewalk toward a family pushing a stroller when officers came into contact with the rear wheel of his bicycle.

This ended the chase as Stringer fell from his motorcycle. He tried to flee but was arrested by police shortly afterwards.

Stringer threw away a bag containing 22 mobile phones, while two other phones were dropped when his motorcycle was rammed.

On Thursday, he was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court to 20 months’ imprisonment for each of the theft charges and a further four months for dangerous driving.