Here are the names and faces of the men sentenced to prison time in November 2025 so far.
Banksy art thief
Larry Fraser, 49, from Beckton, stole a Banksy print from an art gallery to pay off a historic drug debt.
He stole the limited edition print belonging to the street artist’s Girl With Balloon series after breaking into the Grove Gallery in Fitzrovia last September.
The artwork had been part of an exhibition showcasing a £1.5 million collection of 13 Banksy pieces at the gallery and was quickly recovered by officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad.
He was seen on CCTV waiting outside the gallery for about 10 minutes on September 8 last year, before repeatedly smashing the glass door with a heavy blunt object.
When Fraser gained access to the building, at about 11pm, he went straight to the artwork, which was a signed and numbered print.
He then hid the artwork in a building in the Docklands but it was recovered by police a short time later after police received a third party tip off.
The value of the print, which was returned without damage, was approximately £270,000, he said.
Fraser had put forward a basis of plea in which he stated he owed money to others due to a historic drug debt he was struggling to settle and agreed to commit the offence “under a degree of pressure and fear”.
He said he did not know the target of the burglary until the day of the offence and did not know its value.
Fraser pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced to 13 months in prison – though he may be eligible for immediate release due to time spent on electronic curfew.
Read the full story – Beckton man jailed after stealing Banksy print from Fitzrovia gallery.
Knife-wielding train robber
Teddy Kelt, 20, of Bower Close in Romford, went on a four day robbery spree targeting passengers on trains and Tubes.
A court heard how at 9.30pm on December 4, Kelt followed a 22-year-old man onto the platform of Mile End Underground station.
He approached the victim and demanded his phone, telling him he had a knife and would stab him if he called for help.
After the victim handed it over, Kelt patted him down and rifled through his pockets before slapping him, pushing him to the floor and fleeing the station.
The following day, Kelt boarded a Jubilee line train armed with a machete.
He sat next to a 16-year-old boy, asking about the victim’s phone before demanding he hand it over.
Kelt threatened the teen, claiming he would visit him at his college if he dared report the robbery.
Over the coming days Kelt went on to threaten various other young people – taking almost £4,000 worth of items.
He was later traced down after police were called to Gidea Park following one of his robberies.
Kelt was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty on September 9 to three counts of robbery, three counts of attempted robbery, two public order offences, two counts of possessing a knife or bladed article in public, and common assault.
Kelt’s sentence will run consecutively after a three year, eight month sentence previously handed down for other offences.
Read the full story – Romford man jailed for robberies on London tubes and trains
Stabbed a man for a Rolex
Adenola Akindutrie, 22, of no fixed abode, posed as a luxury watch buyer before stabbing a man.
After fleeing the country he returned and was arrested after being identified by facial recognition technology in Stratford in April.
He has now been jailed for eight-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery, grievous bodily harm, possession of a false identity document, and two counts of possession of a bladed article.
Akindutire posed as a Rolex watch buyer on Facebook marketplace, arranging to meet with a seller on January 10.
Read the full story – Stratford Station live facial recognition leads to man’s conviction
He then attacked the seller with a knife before making off to Ireland with the watch and leaving the man suffering life-changing injuries.
He was linked to a similar incident from December 2024, involving a robbery and another Rolex watch.
Upon being stopped in Stratford, Akindutire produced false identity documents and distorted his voice.
