A gang who carried out a spate of terrifying robberies on London trains and buses which included beating up a victim and stealing a silver chain worth just £36 have been jailed.
The gang committed 14 robberies in just six weeks during the summer of 2019 alone, targeting people at train stations in the capital including Elephant and Castle, Tulse Hill and Sydenham, taking phones and jewellery.
In one incident on board a train between Tulse Hill and Streatham, a victim was punched and kicked in the face before a silver chain was ripped from their neck.
Detectives finally identified and caught up with the suspects who were linked to robberies in 2019, 2020 and 2021 using CCTV footage in a major British Transport Police (BTP) investigation in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police.
Three members of the gang were jailed for a total of 12 years and seven months, while a fourth received an 18 month suspended sentence and was ordered to carry out 800 hours of unpaid work.
Elias Angulo Ruiz, 22, was sentenced to six years in prison at Inner London Crown Court for his part in the robberies.
Starling Rodriguez Jose, 24, of Canning Town, was sentenced to three years and six months in jail
Elias Angulo Ruiz, 22, of Hammersmith, west London was sentenced to six years in prison at Inner London Crown Court for his part in the robberies.
He was part of a group found to be in possession of a bag with two knives inside at West Croydon railway station in March 2020.
He went on to attempt to rob a man at knifepoint on board a train between Nunhead and Elephant and Castle in September 2021. A robbery on board a bus in Thorton Heath, and in the Old Street underpass in north London also formed part of the case.
Another man, Starling Rodriguez Jose, 24, of Canning Town, was sentenced to three years and six months in jail while Juan Martinez Vargas, also 22, of Ealing, was sentenced to three years and one month behind bars.
Ruiz, Jose and Vargas all received criminal behaviour orders to last eight years which ban them from travelling on any form of public transport in London, unless they have paid with their own Oyster Card or contactless payment card.
They are also banned from carrying a mobile phone unless they can show it is registered to them, their employer or their parents, and are barred from being in each others company.
Juan Martinez Vargas, also 22, of Ealing, was sentenced to three years and one month behind bars
Yoscar Lake, 22, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to undertake 800 hours of unpaid work
A fourth man, Yoscar Lake, 22, of Thornton Heath, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to undertake 800 hours of unpaid work. He also received a five-year criminal behaviour order.
All four men were convicted of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Ruiz was also convicted of an additional two counts of possession of a bladed article.
BTP Detective Sergeant Tulin Akdam, who investigated the case, said: ‘This cowardly group worked together to intimidate and target passengers across south London.
‘The rail network is covered by extensive CCTV, which we successfully used to prove that they were behind this crime spree.
‘Criminals like this should know that we’ll make sure they face justice for the crimes they inflict on innocent members of the public.
‘Our uniformed and plain-clothes teams patrol the rail network every day to deter robbery and make sure passengers have safe journeys.
‘Fortunately, incidents like this are rare.’
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