London's 'most persistent robbers' stole £1m cash and gems from wealthy women - including designer Nicole Farhi

The serial mugger who targeted fashion designer Nicole Farhi and a host of other wealthy women stole up to £1m in cash and jewellery.

Daniel Mykoo, 29, admitted 84 robberies of lone women in the plush London suburbs of Hampstead and Chelsea, in a bid to feed his £12,000 a month crack habit.

He was often aided by his brother Matthew - and the pair, who are originally from the French Caribbean, were today described as 'the most persistent robbers in London in recent memory'.

In an impact statement read to Wood Green Court today, Fiona Lindblom described how she was violently sick for three days after being attacked on the doorstep of her West London home.

BBC news reporter Sangita Myska was also attacked outside her home in Belsize park, and said she feared she would be 'seriously sexually assaulted'.

When one of her rings would not come off, one of the men said: 'Take the finger off then.' She said she felt her neck being twisted so hard, she thought it was broken.

'More than taking my wedding and engagement ring, they took my confidence,' Mrs Myska said. 'To this day, I can't stand men walking behind me.'

While Daniel grabbed victims from behind and held their throat - a technique he called 'the sleep hold' - Matthew would then remove earrings, necklaces and watches.

Police said Daniel could have killed any one of their victims - and had left several unconscious.

Matthew, of Brent, was convicted of seven robberies, having previously admitted two. He was cleared of two, including the one of Farhi. continues here

Police action targets teen muggers

A POLICE operation targeting robbery hotspots has slashed muggings of young people by 100 per cent, officers said.

Patrols including stop and search on the Rye, Desborough Road, Eden and a skate park saw robberies fall to zero from 177 last year, they said. Police chose to launch the six-week operation after attacks by mostly Asian and afro-Caribbean gangs on white teenagers last summer, police said.

This was among 12 to 19-year-olds. Operation Gauntlet will run to the end of the school holidays.

Police chose to launch the six-week operation after attacks by mostly Asian and afro-Caribbean gangs on white teenagers last summer, police said.

DC Paul Bowen said: “Officers would still stop large groups regardless of ethnicity but they would have at the back of their mind that the robberies are committed by this group of ethnic minorities.”

About 80 per cent of last year’s robberies were committed by gangs of Asian and afro-Caribbean people, he said.

Of last year’s attacks, 44 included the showing or threat of a knife.

Some 73 were stopped and searched this year. This led to five arrests on drugs charges.

He said: “It is unusual to see so many people involved in a robbery.”

Officers also visited schools before pupils broke up for the summer to mark property so it can be returned to its owner if recovered.

Yet DC Bowen said the operation was not needed all year round as the robberies were common to the summer months. continues here

'Samaritan' mugged by casualty

A 'GOOD SAMARITAN' who stopped to help an injured man in Plymouth city centre was left shocked after the casualty mugged her and stole her phone.

Adele Neeves, a volunteer with St John Ambulance from Stonehouse, said the experience would not stop her helping other strangers in need – or even the man who mugged her.

Miss Neeves, aged 44, said: "It was six o'clock in the morning and I was at the bus stop on Royal Parade, when I saw a black gentleman at the corner of Debenhams, not very far from me. He appeared to be drunk and was staggering."

Bravely, she approached the man to see if he needed help, and saw that he was covered in blood, and appeared concussed and confused.

Miss Neeves always carries her first aid kit. Concerned for the man, she called an ambulance and started to treat the large cuts on his face.


"I got him sat in the bus shelter and started to clean his wounds," she said. "He had horrific facial injuries, he was concussed and he had a lot of blood on him."

But as she crouched in front of him, the man suddenly pushed her over, grabbed her phone and ran off.

"I don't know how he made such a miraculous recovery," Miss Neeves said.

Acting on instinct, she gave chase, calling after the man, who shouted back that he had left her phone on the seat. She went back to look – he hadn't – and when she turned again he was gone.

Miss Neeves, a cleaner at B&Q in Derriford, said: "Basically my casualty mugged me. It's really shaken me and upset me, to be honest.

"I get moments when I get flashbacks of the man. It's been a very upsetting experience. It's made me a little bit nervous about being on the bus stop on my own.

"Having said that, I will continue to give first aid treatment at St John Ambulance and within the community."

Miss Neeves said her main concern at the time had been for the man, because his injuries appeared serious and she feared he could have passed out somewhere and died if he didn't get treatment.

She said: "If it happened again, I would still treat the same person, because I couldn't see anyone suffer."

She described the man as "pretty nasty," and said that he spoke with a Caribbean accent and gave his name as 'Jay', which he pronounced more like 'Hoy'.

Miss Neeves, who regularly helps strangers who are in need of first aid, said she had never had a problem with a casualty in the past.

"The majority of the public I've looked after have been really appreciative," she said.

A police spokesman said: "It's appalling that this lady, who was acting as a Good Samaritan, became the victim of a crime.

"We would hope that the person responsible would have enough of a conscience to return the stolen phone. We would also appeal to anybody who knows the person responsible to call Crimestoppers." continues here

A police spokesman said: blurb and then, "We would hope that the person responsible would have enough of a conscience to return the stolen phone”, yes and I’m a cake, this event, is indicative of the west’s relations regarding itself and the rest of the world. The compassionate Miss Neeves said: "Having said that, I will continue to give first aid treatment at St John Ambulance and within the community", rest of the world says, “thanks for the compassion but I’ll have that”, the west says, “the incident won’t stop me doing it again, non-white says, “hope to see you soon”.

When are we going to learn, start to think about our own, instead of trying to sort out the whole worlds problems, how much more must we give to peoples that are for the most part, ungrateful. It seems that we are a nation of givers, a nation built upon the concepts of fair-play and decency, when the world at large simply isn’t like that, moreover, why should it be we that gives and not the governments of these countries.

Like the reprehensible Jay or “hoy” as he pronounced it, who chose to attack his good- Samaritan, the non-western peoples of this world have no time for us, if it were we in their position I hate to think how we would suffer. Of course benevolence is good, to be a good Samaritan to your neighbour, however, be careful lest they bite the hand that feeds. 14