An Honor Oak man has been jailed for nearly three years after taking part in a series of knifepoint robberies on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).
Jamal Wilson, 21, of Wood Vale, was sentenced to 34 months in prison on July 8 for his role in the “despicable spate of robberies”, as well as for conspiracy to deal Class A and Class B drugs.
Tyreese Ulysses, 20, from Mineral Street in Plumstead, was jailed for eight years for leading the robberies, as well as drug dealing.
Two seventeen-year-olds, who cannot be named because of their age, were sentenced to three months and a year at a youth rehabilitation service respectively.
The group carried out the robberies in September 2020 on DLR trains in east London. On each occasion, they would approach a victim, pull out a knife or a machete and demand that they hand over their valuables.
They were able to get wallets, phones, and even a Gucci bag.
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British Transport Police (BTP) officers tracked them down and arrested one of the teenagers and Ulysses in September 2020, the second teenager in October and Wilson in December. Officers also found two phones on Wilson which contained messages talking about dealing drugs.
BTP Detective Constable, Chris Pretty, said: “This was a petrifying experience for all the victims who were subjected to the group’s despicable spate of robberies.
“Ulyesses and Wilson are opportunist criminals that aren’t fit to be in our community – I’m thankful to the courts for handing them adequately strong sentences behind bars.
“I would also like to thank the victims, the public and our colleagues at the Metropolitan Police Service for assisting our investigation, allowing us to trace and arrest the culprits quickly.
“We’re patrolling the network in London and across the UK round the clock to crack down on knife crime. Crimes of this nature will never be tolerated, and we’re devoted to removing dangerous weapons from the railway.”