Urgent warning amid rise in a shocking crime plaguing the streets of Manchester

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

An urgent warning has been issued amid a rise in shocking 'phone snatching' thefts in parts of Manchester city centre. Police said they have received an increase in reports of mobile phones being swiped straight from people's hands in the Ancoats area in recent weeks.

It comes after recent alarming CCTV footage showed how thief Michael 'Mickey' O'Leary operated by driving round on a motorbike before stealing people's phones in the city centre area.

The 20-year-old was jailed last week following an investigation. A court heard that on April 11, this year, a number of phones which had been snatched were tracked, via the Find My Phone app, to an address where a number of other phones were recovered.

It led police to O'Leary's door. READ MORE '10 minutes in town': Man at heart of city centre crime spree undone by a Snapchat message Greater Manchester Police later released footage of one of the phones being snatched.