A 35-year-old Nigerian woman, Gloria Makanjuola, has been sentenced to nine months in prison in the United Kingdom for assaulting a commuter and attempting to steal from him on a London train.
The British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed the conviction in a statement released on February 25, 2026. Makanjuola, who resides on Cranbrook Road in Ilford, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday, February 19, after pleading guilty to assault and attempted theft.
The court heard that shortly before midnight on March 3, 2023, the victim was travelling eastbound on the Central Line towards Hainault, reading a newspaper, when Makanjuola sat beside him and demanded money.
She then began searching his coat pocket, removed his phone, and told him she would return it if he gave her cash.
As the victim tried to retrieve his phone, she continued going through his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and took £60 while dropping the phone. He later reported that she struck him repeatedly and bent his fingers backward in a bid to overpower him.
He managed to break free and ran down the carriage, grabbing his phone in the process.
Makanjuola chased him and tackled him near the doors as the train pulled into Hainault Underground Station. She eventually left the scene while bystanders and railway staff assisted the victim, who discovered his phone had been damaged.
Police officers in the area were alerted, and around 1 a.m., an officer at a nearby petrol station spotted a woman matching her description. She was identified and arrested shortly after.
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