Police plea after eight street robberies in Leeds

Officers are investigating eight offences between April 16 and 23 believed to be linked to the same suspects.

A 24-year-old man was running in woods at Walkers Road, Meanwood, just before 8pm on Saturday April 16 when he was approached by two men and threatened with a knife before being robbed of his Samsung Galaxy phone.

At about 1.45pm on Saturday April 23, a 22-year-old woman was pushed to the ground and her handbag was stolen by two men riding bicycles on Craven Road, Woodhouse.

The day before, a 23-year-old woman was threatened by two men on Woodhouse Ridge at about 2pm. They pushed her over and took her handbag and rucksack, containing a laptop and iPhone.

three men stole cash, keys and a Nokia Lumia phone from 25-year-old man in Craven Road at about 12.30am on Thursday, April 21. A 21-year-woman and a friend were walking along Hyde Park Road at about 9.40pm on Wednesday, April 20, when two men on a motor scooter grabbed her handbag and sped off.

Police are also investigating street robberies on Rampart Road, Woodhouse Ridge and Woodhouse Moor. The suspects are described as white, aged 18 to 20, skinny, and between 5ft 6ins and 6ft tall. They have worn hoodies and had their faces covered.

Detective Inspector Neil Thompson of West Yorkshire Police, said: “We are making extensive enquiries to trace the suspects involved in these incidents which we believed may be linked given the similar circumstances and the locations.

“We are focusing increased attention on the area with patrols by both uniformed and plain-clothed officers and are targeting known offenders.

“We would like to hear from anyone who has witnessed any of the incidents or who has any information that could assist the investigation.

“The majority of the victims have been students and some of these offences have taken place while walking alone in secluded places. We would ask that people give due consideration to their personal safety while out in public, particularly in the hours of darkness, and, where possible, avoid isolated places while we continue to do everything we can to catch the people responsible.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Leeds District Crime Team via 101 quoting Operation Diarymount. Or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.