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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Ted Hennessey

Man afraid to leave home after hooded thieves steal £300 electric scooter at knifepoint

A man today told how hooded thieves stole his £300 electric scooter at knifepoint after answering an advert he posted selling it online.

The 25-year-old says he has suffered panic attacks and is afraid to leave his home in west London after he was attacked by the four teenagers who held a knife to his neck in the “completely terrifying” ordeal.

He had travelled to an estate west London just before 6pm on Thursday, to meet a potential buyer after advertising a Xiaomi electric scooter on Facebook. But when he arrived, a man claiming to be the buyer’s cousin was waiting for the scooter without the money.

The man grew suspicious when he noticed hooded teenagers, believed to be aged between 16 and 18, waiting nearby. He grabbed the scooter to take it away, but was attacked from behind. He was pushed to the ground and felt a knife at his neck, before he was able to run to his car.

“It was completely terrifying, my heart skipped a beat,” he said. “I knew I was in trouble and I started panicking, you never know what’s going to happen when someone has a knife.

“I already struggle with mental health and anxiety, so this has just made everything 10 times worse. My partner has also really struggled, we’re afraid to leave the house and we’re scared of everything at the minute.”

A Met spokesman said: “There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue.”

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