Annabel Croft mugged in broad daylight by a masked man in London

Former tennis player Annabel Croft has become the latest victim of London‘s phone theft epidemic, after she was mugged in broad daylight in a ‘snatch and go’ attack.

The 57-year-old Strictly Come Dancing star took to Instagram on Tuesday to share an update on her ‘terrifying ordeal’.

Annabel recounted how her phone was stolen ‘clean out of her hands’ while she waited for a taxi outside King’s Cross station but luckily dropped it as they sped off. 

It comes as there has been a spate of phone thefts as of late, with two incidents being caught on camera in as many days. 

The attempted theft is typical of e-bike crooks who operate across the capital, often acting in pairs and using mopeds or electric bikes to make a quick getaway. 

In an Instagram update, she wrote: ‘I just wanted to warn people who are on their own in London. I just got mugged waiting for a taxi outside King’s Cross St Pancras.

‘The man was riding a bike and wearing a black balaclava. He rode straight at me and took my phone clean out of my hands.”

‘He rode away with it but luckily dropped my phone so I got it back. Terrifying! 

‘On a positive note, there are some lovely people out there. Luckily a lovely gentleman witnessed it and came over to help me. Thank you to whoever you are.’

Gangs of muggers on e-bikes are terrorising the streets of London as they target children, mothers and commuters by snatching their mobiles.

Figures have shown that a mobile phone is reported as stolen in London every six minutes.

Nearly 52,000 devices were stolen in the capital last year as criminals use violence and distraction techniques to target victims. 

The worst-hit borough was the City of Westminster, where tourists flock for theatre shows and high-end shopping, with 18,863 reported incidents in the year to December – up 47 per cent from 12,836 in the previous 12 months.  

Camden was the second worst affected, with 4,806 incidents, followed by Southwark (4,376), Hackney (2,761), Newham (2,585), Lambeth (2,394) and Islington (2,117). In London as a whole more than 52,000 phones were stolen last year.

In February, Love Island star Anna-May Robey, 20, – who appeared on the show in 2023 for the winter South Africa series – revealed that thieves stole her phone in a brazen attack and ‘rinsed her bank accounts’ leaving her with ‘nothing’. 

She told how a cyclist snatched her mobile and because it was unlocked when they took it they were able to access all of her information and Apple Pay.

Anna explained in her heartbreaking post that the thieves took everything, ‘down to my last penny’.

She said: ‘Walking to a shoot on Monday, my phone was snatched out of my hand by a cyclist.

‘The cyclist approached me from behind so I was unaware and completely oblivious. The phone was unlocked so the guy had access to everything.

‘He was able to change my Apple ID straight away so I couldn’t track the phone or access any of my information on any other devices.

‘I know it’s easy to replace a mobile phone, but my whole life is on there – Apple Pay, personal information, images, work etc.

‘By the time I managed to contact a bank to cancel my cards and Apple Pay, it was too late.

‘I found out all accounts had been rinsed. They had not only stolen my phone but spent thousands of pounds, down to my last penny, savings and credit cards were maxed. Leaving me with absolutely NOTHING.’

She added: ‘It made it a lot easier for them that my phone was unlocked when I was approached but it couldn’t have been helped. 

‘I always thought I was safe with Apple Pay because of passwords, Face ID and all security these devices have in place but it’s still not enough. They also had access to PayPal credit etc.’

She issued a warning to others and continued: ‘This week has been so stressful and scary for me and just wanted to make everyone aware of how easily and often this happens.

‘It just takes a split second. The amount of people I’ve seen doing the exact same thing as me this week, walking down the street with their phone in hand has put things into perspective. 

‘It’s so easy and I always thought I’d be the last person this would happen to but it could literally be anyone or anywhere x.’ 

This week, a video showed an unsuspecting victim minding her own business when a man clad in black came up behind her and snatched her mobile before speeding off.

Her attempt to give chase was futile as the thief raced off on an e-bike capable of speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

The brazen theft happened on 6 June on a busy road near Tavistock Square in Marylebone, central London, just a short distance from Euston Station and the British Museum.

In a separate incident in a different part of London two crooks on a moped were caught on camera trying to swipe a man’s phone while riding along the pavement.

The victim, who was standing on a street corner, glanced down at his mobile but luckily turned around as the scooter approached.

The thief on the back attempted to grab it but the man was able to pull his arm away. The incident happened at 8am today in Tottenham, north London.

Following the failed attempt to steal the phone, the scooter then sped away on the path as the victim looked on bemused.

The attempted theft is typical of e-bike crooks who operated across the capital, often acting in pairs and using mopeds or electric bikes to make a quick getaway.

Local Alex Fletcher warned others of the prevalence of phone thefts, adding: ‘I’ve had my phone pinched in central London twice now.

‘Both times they chucked back on the floor straight away because it wasn’t an iPhone.’

Last month a video went viral that showed a cyclist dressed all in black ride up to a group of people standing near the Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End. 

The thief slows down as he approaches them before he snatches the phone out of a young woman’s hands and speeds off.

These incidents are just another example of the terrifying trend of ‘gadget snatching’ that is sweeping the capital.