David Blyth, 30, of Romford Road, was sentenced to nine years in prison at Snaresbrook Crown Court yesterday and a further seven years on licence after pleading guilty to 10 counts of robbery.
The 11 offences were a linked series of robberies that happened between July and August 2018 in the Stratford and Forest Gate area where lone females aged between 26 and 48 were targeted.
Most of the robberies were at knife-point and Blyth usually stole the victims’ vehicles.
Blyth was arrested after detectives investigated and carried out a number of extensive enquiries including forensics, witness and victim interviews and reviewed hours of CCTV footage.
He was identified as a suspect due to looking identical to a male seen in CCTV footage, matching a suspect description given by the victims and because he was living near the locations of the robberies.
Blyth had been released from prison two days before attacks started. He had been serving a sentence for a knife-point robbery on a lone female in a vehicle in 2015.
His first victim in this series of robberies was a 35-year-old woman who was sat in her car in Eastern Road on 19 July. She was grabbed around the mouth by Blyth and in a statement said: “After the attack, I had sleepless nights and nightmares. I was very nervous. I felt that I had to always look over my shoulder. I couldn’t stop crying for a long time and it also affected me mentally, emotionally and physically.
“I stayed at home for a very long time after the incident. Before this I was always out and about with friends and family. I feel I don’t have the same confidence as before. I feel like I’m not the same person anymore.”
Another of Blyth’s victims was a 31-year-old woman who was put in headlock in Warwick Road.
She said: “Unfortunately this awful robbery that I had to endure has affected my self-esteem and self-confidence. I am petrified of men in general when I am walking on the road during the day and if a man comes close to me I have a tendency to jump. This has become worse as the time has gone on and I will say that this robbery has affected me more than I could have imagined.
“I have always been a very brave and confident woman who has never been scared of men. I feel like he has taken that way from me as I still have flashbacks of what he did. I am happy he has been caught but he has taken from that strong confident woman and replaced me with a weak scared woman.”
Acting Detective Sergeant Edward Rulton, praised by the Judge for his ‘great detective work’ and was awarded with a commendation, said, “This was a particularly violent series of robberies, which had a severe impact on the victims involved. The attacks were cowardly and the victims have been very courageous throughout the investigation.
“This was a complex and rapidly evolving investigation, but I would like to thank all of the officers involved for their hard work. The evidence against Blyth was overwhelming and as a result he pleaded guilty to 11 robberies.
“Blyth is a very dangerous individual and I am sure that the public will feel safer knowing that he is behind bars and off the streets.”
Tags: Newham, Stratford, Forest Gate
