This is the moment a prolific Algerian laptop snatcher brazenly swipes a drinker’s bag in a London pub during a summer stealing spree.
Munir Ghilas, 28, stole £20,000 worth of belongings as he toured the City’s swishest bars in search of phones, bags, passports and Apple laptops.
The migrant, described by police as a ‘professional thief’, faces jail time after admitting 16 counts of theft and assaulting an emergency worker this month.
He earlier admitted a further count of handling stolen goods, namely a laptop belonging to architecture firm Rodney Melville & Partners.
CCTV footage obtained by the Daily Mail shows one of Ghilas’s many thefts, which all took place between August 5 and September 25 this year.
He can be seen weaving his way through the busy bar, packed with people enjoying a post-work drink in the capital’s financial district.
As distracted customers chat away, Ghilas, dressed in a white hoodie, focusses his gaze on one of their bags while standing in the middle of the pub.
The migrant then leans over a table and lurches to grab the item before slipping out of the popular establishment.
This is the moment prolific Algerian laptop snatcher Munir Ghilas, pictured standing in a white hoodie, brazenly swipes a drinker’s bag in a London pub during a summer stealing spree
He stole belongings worth thousands of pounds as he toured the City’s swishest bars, including a bag taken from a drinker in this clip
The migrant, pictured, was described by police as a ‘professional thief’ and now faces jail time after admitting 16 counts of theft and assaulting an emergency worker this month
Another clip shows the moment Ghilas’s crimes finally catch up with him as he is arrested by police officers on the street – but not before attempting a last-minute getaway.
It sees the Algerian migrant being questioned on a busy London street as cars and buses travel past.
Ghilas, wearing a white fleece and glasses, then makes a quick dart down the street, holding a black phone, in a bid to escape the cops.
The prolific thief momentarily escapes the police’s grasp and bowls down the pavement pushing the officers away.
But they grab him just in time, as he stumbles into the street and smashes into the front of a parked silver Mercedes.
Ghilas then gets up again to make one last attempt to avoid arrest but is eventually wrestled onto the tarmac by officers who also snatch a phone from his hand.
Across a two-month crime spree, the migrant targeted 16 separate victims unwinding in bars in central London between 5 August and 25 September this year.
Ghilas grabbed a laptop worth £2,700, along with other items, from Matthew Bourn in All Bar One, on Byward Street in the City.
Another clip shows the moment Ghilas’s crimes finally catch up with him as he is arrested by police officers on the street
The prolific thief briefly escapes the police’s grasp and bowls down the pavement pushing the officers away
After bumping into a parked car, Ghilas gets up again to make one last attempt to avoid arrest but is eventually wrestled onto the tarmac by officers who also snatch a phone from his hand
He also swiped a laptop and other items worth £3,450 from Matthew Bayman on August 5, as well as Jacob Wyatt’s Apple MacBook from the same pub on the following day.
The migrant then stole four laptops worth £3,750 in The Banker Public House in the City on August 15.
Ghilas swiped five more laptops worth £7,280 from Nicholas Fletcher, Andrew Bell and Stefan-Howard Rigby at the Lord Raglan pub in Holborn on September 24.
The next day he grabbed another five laptops and a passport from drinkers in The Oyster Shed Public House on Angel Lane, central London.
He also stole a computer from Christopher Hall in The Banker Public House the same day.
Ghilas went on to assault a female police officer when he was arrested later on September 25.
He appeared at Southwark Crown Court wearing a grey prison issue tracksuit, assisted by an Algerian interpreter.
Prosecutor Ioan Davies said: ‘There is extensive offending largely of the same type.
Ghilas grabbed a laptop worth £2,700, along with other items, from Matthew Bourn in All Bar One, on Byward Street in the City (General view image of the bar)
He grabbed another five laptops and a passport from drinkers in The Oyster Shed Public House on Angel Lane, central London
The migrant also stole four laptops worth £3,750 in The Banker Public House in the City on August 15 before returning to nab more the following month
Ghilas swiped five more laptops worth £7,280 from Nicholas Fletcher, Andrew Bell and Stefan-Howard Rigby at the Lord Raglan pub in Holborn on September 24
‘The defendant moves between different bars, pubs and restaurants and takes predominantly laptops, which the value ranges between £750 to £3,000.
‘There is clearly some degree of planning involved. This is because of the nature of the offending.
‘The defendant has planned a course of conduct which has been repeated again and again over the course of several months.’
Daniel Darnbrough, defending Ghilas, said: ‘This is clearly a case that warrants a custodial sentence, it is only really the length we have to discuss.
‘There are different facts in relation to different dates that need to be got together.’
Judge Alexander Milne, KC, told Ghilas: ‘The sentence in this case will be January 13.
‘You will remain in custody until then.’
Investigating officer Police Constable Pradip Gurung, of the Volume Crime Unit at the City of London Police, said: ‘Munir Ghilas is a professional thief, targeting the valuable property of victims who are out and about in City pubs and he showed no signs of stopping his criminal activities.
‘We remain committed to tackling bag thefts and ensuring those responsible for such crimes are brought before the courts. We have already made significant arrests which have led to a number of successful prosecutions.
‘Through increased patrols, targeted operations and using our extensive camera network in the City, we are enhancing our ability to deter criminal activities and respond swiftly when incidents occur.’
