Luke Broom aged 19 years of Upper Richmond Road SW15 has been convicted of Robbery and jailed for three years by a judge at Kingston Crown Court.

The Court heard how a youth had been stopped, threatened and then forcibly searched by two suspects in Larpent Avenue on 15th September 2008. During the search, the suspects stole the youth’s Ipod and then made off towards the Ashburton Estate in Putney.

Officers from West Putney Safer Neighbourhoods Team who were on bicycle patrol on the estate nearby were alerted to the robbery via their radios. They subsequently detained Luke Broom minutes later in Tildesley Road on the Ashburton Estate as he matched the description of one of the robbers. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of robbery and was later charged. During the course of his arrest he became violent, threatening officers.

Sgt Eric Ostrowski of West Putney Safer Neighbourhoods Team said:
‘This arrest within minutes of the offence and subsequent conviction has come about due to the courage of the victim in reporting this matter to police, the hard work of the Safer Neighbourhoods officers who were on patrol that day and the dedication of the Robbery Squad officers at Wandsworth. Due to this a violent individual has been removed from the streets of Putney for the foreseeable future. I hope this shows the public that we will continue to work with the local community in making our streets safer.’