A prolific bag thief who was caught on camera sneakily stealing a bag from a busy London bar has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.
Sid Rebai, 36, would regularly frequent pubs in the City of London in the hope of snatching bags which contained expensive personal belongings.
In the astonishing footage showing Rebai in action, the thief can be seen holding a phone to his ear as he walks near two people deep in conversation as they talk over a pint.
Seemingly having picked the pair out as they were engrossed in a discussion, Rebai lingers near and extends his leg out to the bag which is under the table shared by the pubgoers.
Wearing a black cap which he paired with a hoodie and jeans, Rebai drags the rucksack to his feet before quickly picking it up and fleeing the area before the victim has the chance to notice his belongings had been stolen.
In one day alone, April 8 this year, the thief would steal three bags from pubs in the City – of which he was convicted for.Â
He was also found to have stolen a bag and a laptop from a pub in the Minories on April 29.Â
On May 6, the day of his arrest, Rebai was spotted at a pub in Aldgate, where plain-clothed police officers had stationed themselves in the hope of catching him.
In the astonishing footage showing Rebai in action, the thief can be seen holding a phone to his ear as he walks near two people deep in conversation as they talk over a pint
Seemingly having picked the pair out as they were engrossed in a discussion, Rebai lingers near and extends his leg out to the bag which is under the table shared by the pubgoers
 Rebai drags the rucksack to his feet before quickly picking it up and fleeing the area before the victim has the chance to notice his belongings had been stolen
He was found in possession of a stolen bag and quickly arrested before officers returned the bag and its contents to the victim of the crime.Â
Rebai pleaded guilty to six counts of theft and was handed a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), which bans him from entering the City of London for six years.Â
Inspector Dan Green, of the Proactive Acquisitive Crime Team at the City of London Police, said: ‘This is another great result in seeing a prolific bag thief behind bars and returning stolen items to victims.
‘Our warning to criminals; don’t come into the City to steal bags. If you do, you risk being spotted by our plain-clothed officers, who will track you down, arrest you and bring you to justice.’
His sentencing comes just a week after we reported how fitness influencer Grace Beverley had her vintage Chanel bag stolen from right under her nose during a day out in Notting Hill.
Rebai’s sentencing comes just a week after we reported how fitness influencer Grace Beverley had her vintage Chanel bag stolen from right under her nose during a day out in Notting Hill
The founder of activewear brand TALA, 28, was sat outside a popular Greek restaurant with her sister in the west London street when a brazen thief sneakily swiped her bag from between her feet.
Sharing a clip of the ordeal, she said: ‘I feel like I’m so observant and really, really careful with my bag and phone in London but my whole bag just got robbed from between my feet at a restaurant.
‘I was at Zephyr in Notting Hill, I was sat outside. My whole bag, my bag was between my feet, squeezed between my feet and this man managed to get the whole thing.’
She added: ‘Me and my sister were talking about juicy gossip so I feel like that did get in the way but can you believe?
‘My entire bag, my brand new, first ever vintage Chanel is dead.’Â
In a clip shared on TikTok the business owner showed how the thief had stolen the bag by pretending to sit down at the same restaurant before snatching it from between her feet
The man then put the vintage Chanel bag inside another tote bag before leaving the restaurant and crossing the road out of sightÂ
In the clip, Grace and her sister could be seen chatting animatedly at a table outside while several people walked past.
One man, wearing wearing a navy top and grey shorts with a matching grey cap, wandered down the street and then reversed.
With handfuls of shopping bags he came and sat down behind the influencer and her sibling, moving a chair and carefully placing his bags down around him.
As the two girls continued their conversation, the thief reached down behind him, quickly snatching the bag and putting it inside a white tote bag before calmly walking out of the restaurant’s seating area.
