Heartless thief steals blind man's phone then holds it RANSOM
A CALLOUS thief stole a blind man's iPhone and held it ransom while forcing him to empty his life savings.
Cruel Zach Zeto, 24, snatched the £500 iPhone 5 on a tram platform after he asked the victim what time it was.
He then demanded payment for the phone - claiming he would hand it back to the partially-sighted victim, 22, and warning him not to ask for help.
During the "terrifying ordeal" on a train in Mitcham, south west London, Zeto demanded more cash from his blind victim, and forced him to withdraw money from a cash machine.
But instead of handing the phone back, cruel Zeto got back on the train with the stolen phone and the money, thought to be a couple of hundred pounds.
Thankfully, thug Zeto was caught minutes later at a station further down the line, after the quick-thinking victim rang cops, who activated the phone's tracking software.
Zeto, of Croydon, south London, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft at Blackfriars Crown Court and was caged for 33 months.
This attack was a terrifying ordeal for the victim, who is registered blind, and was understandably scared of Zeto's threats, giving him some money and agreeing to get more for him
A spokesman for the British transport Police said: "Zeto's victim, a 22-year-old partially-sighted man from Croydon, who is registered blind, was waiting on the platform at Mitcham Junction tram stop when he was approached by Zeto asking for the time.
"When the man got his iPhone 5 out of his pocket to check the time, Zeto snatched it and demanded payment before he would return it to the owner, warning him not to shout for help."
Detective Constable Mark Agrippa said: "This attack was a terrifying ordeal for the victim, who is registered blind, and was understandably scared of Zeto's threats, giving him some money and agreeing to get more for him.
"I can only imagine how intimidated he felt, which makes it all the more commendable that he reported the offence to police and helped us fully in our enquiries.
"The custodial sentence handed to Zeto as a result of his actions is proof that BTP will always investigate offences of this nature to the fullest extent with the intention of holding those responsible to account."
