Episode 5 Crimewatch Roadshow

We are back on the road with police, finding out how

Left for dead in the road on Christmas Day.

Name the hit and run driver who put JJ in a coma.

My son was 24 when they did this to him. He was independent, he had his

own life, it is just heartbreaking. as today we are all about fighting

crime on public transport. Hello and welcome to

Crimewatch Roadshow. We're live every morning,

focusing on the crimes Also coming up on today's programme:

The hunt for the man attacking He grabbed me and had his arms

around me and I was thinking, this cannot be happening.

with the Met's oldest and longest serving Special Constable.

As we'll see, age is no barrier to nicking people.

It's the end of our first week and Michelle has

Hi Rav, I'm at the Transport Museum Depot in Acton

which is a shrine to the public transport of yesteryear.

But buses, tubes and trains are also the hunting ground of pickpockets.

I'll be meeting a man who knows all about disappearing acts

First though, the story of JJ, the 24 year old who was mown down

by a hit and run driver on Christmas day.

# So happy Christmas and a happy New Year.

Sasha Obama let's hope it's a good one.

They have left someone in such a state, they did not even call the

police, they just left him to die. Basically he was dead. JJ Armstrong

was brought up in Hackney in North East London by his mother Sharon. He

used to bring animals home all the time. Once I had 12 dogs at my house

rescued by JJ. That was him basically. He thought everything was

his animals. He left home aged 16 and enjoyed the independence of

living by himself. He cooked, cleaned, everything as good as a

woman can. Yes, he can do that if he set his heart to it. He can do

everything. Back on Christmas Day last year, all that changed. JJ had

been at a friend's house for dinner in Stoke Newington, north London. At

six in the evening he said his goodbyes and began to walk to Manor

Park where he was due to spend the evening celebrating with friends and

family. It was just over a mile away and was a journey he made regularly.

His mother was looking forward to spending time with him. We knew he

was coming later and his presence were here and I was looking forward

to going downstairs for a laugh and a cup of tea. But JJ would never

arrive. Whilst crossing the seven sisters Rd, at the junction with the

park, JJ was hit by a car. The driver did not stop, leaving JJ

lying in the road, struggling to stay alive. I got a phone call from

my daughter saying, Jay has had an accident. Our life had turned

completely upside down. Paramedics helped JJ at the roadside for two

hours before he could be airlifted to hospital. All the time it was get

ready for him to pass. I was told that he was bleeding on each side of

his head. I really can't tell you how many times I went to the

theatre, and each day was a blessing for me to walk in and see him. JJ

was in hospital for several months and had several major operations. He

has been left with two metal plate in his head and with brain damage

and is now back at home trying to recover. My talking has got better.

I used to talk, but you could not make out anything. Sometimes I am

doing something and I forget what I am doing. I cannot think of stuff,

so I do not do much now. Little things he finds hard to do which

leads him to get angry. To be honest, I have got a different lad

altogether. There are no two ways about it. He has not come back the

way he was because he had such a tender heart. Whilst the CCTV is not

clear enough to show the car's registration, please hope someone

will remember seeing this car on Christmas Day at around seven p.m..

The damage on the vehicle you can see from the CCTV shots, the

windscreen is quite smashed in. We are looking at trying to appeal to

anybody who may have seen the vehicle with a smashed windscreen.

When they behind or in front of the vehicle? Did they see the damaged

windscreen? They might not have realised at the time what happened,

but now it is worth coming forward with any small bit of information to

help us in the investigation. Six months on and Sharon is desperate to

know who could have left JJ on the road that night fighting for his

life. I want them to see what they have done to my son. My son was 24

when they did this to him. He was independent, he had his own life, he

could think for himself. What 25-year-old wants a mother having to

baby them? JJ is no different, he does not want me pandering to him,

he wants to do it himself. It is quite sad to be honest not doing

anything. But I can't do nothing. I am just heartbroken that he has been

left completely different to what he was. It is just heartbreaking.

Such a sickening crime. This incident has been devastating for JJ

and his family. DC Neil Green joins me. What happened to the vehicle

after it hit JJ? We know it continued along Seven Sisters Rd and

then it turned into Eade Road, which is an industrial complex. Two people

called the emergency services straightaway, but they lost the

vehicle as it went through the streets. The vehicle did have quite

a bit of damage to it will stop the windscreen is totally shattered.

Anybody who saw this vehicle on Christmas evening may not have

thought anything at the time. But after this appeal today, if they

have seen the vehicle, please get in touch with us. Powell is JJ doing

now? He was independent, he was a mechanic, he was very happy, he had

lovely friends and family and after this devastating incident he has now

got critical injuries that have ruined his life. As his mother says,

it is truly heartbreaking. Think back to Christmas Day at

around seven o'clock in the evening. Did you see this card? If you did,

you know what to do. This bloke is not in the market for

a new set of wheels. He knows exactly what he wants. Cold, hard

cash, and to help him get it he has brought a gun. But the salesman

spots a weapon and he is having none of it. The determined rubber boots

at the door, but the salesman has escaped. The gunman leaves

empty-handed and legs it towards never be. Let's get this armed

robber barons up. Call now. A bloke with his hood up gets on the number

93 bus on its way from Wimbledon to Morden. He takes a seat on the lower

deck and cracks open a can for the journey. Five minutes later he

starts chatting to a fellow passenger. Out of nowhere he strikes

with such force the victim is knocked backwards off the bus and

into the street. The footage is grainy, but the police say the

unprovoked attack continues on the pavement before the suspect runs

off. The victim was taken to hospital and treated for injuries

that required stitches. Who is this bully? Pick up the telephone no. It

is shortly after 9am on Wednesday morning in holy. This Jura has just

opened up, but was not expecting these customers. The guy in the hood

the storms the shop and he has got a gun. The police say during this time

the shopkeeper is out the site of the camera and he is made to open a

cabinet. He is lead back past the cameras and he is restrained with

cable ties. These violent crooks stole around ?100,000 worth of stock

leaving the shopkeeper with nasty face injuries before making off down

an alleyway opposite the premises. Names, please.

If you recognised anyone, get on the phone now.

Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

Text CW, space and then your message.

Texts will be charged at your standard message rate.

The Museum depot here in Acton is home to all sorts of amazing

Of course, Londoners still use the bus and tube,

but more and more people are turning to bikes and mopeds

That has led to challengers for the Met with 11,000 mopeds and bikes

Unfotunately, criminals are switching to two wheels too.

London is one of the most congested cities in Europe, so more and more

people are choosing to beat the traffic and travel on two wheels,

but they are also often the vehicle of choice for some of those looking

to commit crime. On average 27 mopeds are stolen in the capital

every day and many of those are used in further crimes, including assault

and snatching of bags and mobile phones. To combat this problem, the

Met police have set up a unit of specialist officers, quick to

scramble with their bikes and they are in an unmarked cars. At the end

of last year they were put to the test when London was hit by a spree

of violent mopeds crime. Over a short period of time we started

noticing these robberies were mopeds were taken. After stealing the

bites, the robbers would use them for further crimes, mounting the

pavements and snatching bags. The police were concerned about the

level of violence used. They were out of control during that period of

offending. They were showing no sign of stopping and they were using

force and that is at the back of your mind when you are looking at

types of offences that you can make a difference on. It was a race

against time to identify and arrest the two suspects they believe to be

behind this crime wave. They would target loan people with a bag or a

rucksack or something they could take. Generally it would be lone

females they were targeting. My next job is to try and identify who the

two people on these mopeds are. The breakthrough moment came when the

suspects were caught on camera carrying out a particularly nasty

attack. This bus driver was returning home

from work on his moped lead late one night when he encountered the

suspects. Coming from my work, they were trying to cross the road. But

they were not. They stole my bike. I tried to stop them but they pulled

out the hammer and attacked me. I think if there was no helmet I would

not be here. I don't know what would happen to me. It is horrible. They

clearly had no regard for their victims. There was no thought at

all. They were going to achieve their goal by whatever force

necessary. It was impossible to identify who the attackers actually

were on CCTV. I suspect they were wearing goods. Trying to identify

the most problematic from the start. Using CCTV, they were able to trace

the movements of the suspects before the attack. They were in the

Stratford food centre, which is just down from where the offence

happened. That has got really good high-definition CCTV. We are able to

get a bloody good image of the faces of the suspects. They came outside

and sat outside for a couple of minutes. Then you see them make

their way to where the robbery happened. From this high quality

footage, police were able to identify one of the suspects, John

Smith. Next, suspect two. This time it was not CCTV but DNA evidence

that proved key. On Romford Road in Forest gate another Maupay the theft

was reported. -- mopeds. Two witnesses saw the suspects sitting

here. It was established there was a large bowl of saliva on the steps. A

DNA hit came back for Shema Williams. With both suspects

identified, Williams was arrested. John Smith proved a bit more

difficult to bring in. We're used to people running from us but it is the

lengths that people go to. We make sure there is nowhere they can get

out. The police helicopter put a stop to Smith's attempted rooftop

getaway. On the ground he was arrested, giving officers the chance

to finally searches home for evidence. They were not

disappointed. The hammer used in the attacks, a stolen helmet and the

clothes he was seen wearing on CCTV were all found.

216-year-old boys have been jailed for a series of robberies...

They carried out robberies over a two week period.

Williams and Smith pled guilty to multiple robberies and were

sentenced to five years in prison. It is nice to get guilty pleas. It

saves the extra stress on victims having to go into court and relive

those moments. It is like organised crime. If the police do not catch

them, they will end up taking someone's life. The fact they

pleaded guilty is always pleasing. It shows you are doing your

investigation well. Detective Superintendent Raffaele

D'Orsi is in charge of taking That was a good result for you guys

but this is a growing crime? That was a fantastic result for the

victim and the communities of London. I am extremely proud of my

colleagues who work involved in making sure those dangerous

individuals would be imprisoned for a long time. How are you adapting

your tactics? In the last 12 months there have been roughly about 11,000

thefts of mopedss and motorcycles. Half that number used in crime. We

brought together our specialist units within organised crime. A

specialist units with emergency response officers and road traffic

policing to deal with this issue. How can people protect themselves?

It is important that members of the public think about securing mopeds

or motorcycles. Get expert advice. For those members of the public

walking around the streets, beware of your surroundings. We want London

to remain the safest major city in the world. Many thanks.

Thanks Michelle, also still to come this morning.

Meet the "special" special who's been fighting crime in London

The excitement and doing something for all of us started me off doing

it. Then the bug got me, to get more villains and stop more crime.

And the glow-in-the-dark finger print technology,

It's the passing out parade for 106 newly qualified

Already this year, over 1000 people have celebrated the end

However, today's even more significant, as it is the last one

at the existing Hendon Police College site in North London,

where they've been turning out PCs since 1934.

And yes, here's a bit of an embarrassing photo of me

back in 2000 on the day of my passing out parade.

Hopefully, all the new PCs have fantastic careers ahead of them,

And if there's one man they should be looking

to for inspiration, it's Rob Harrild.

And what's more he does it all for free.

This is special Sergeant Rob Harrild. He is one of 16,000

volunteer police officers in the UK. He leads a team of specials tasked

with controlling the streets of Harrow in north-west London. My role

is to make sure we can do as much business as possible, so that the

regular police can get on with the more serious side of it. We are not

geared up to take all the jobs. But if you are out on the street in

uniform and something happens around the corner, then you take it. OK,

here we go. Real life. Most specials give to one half years to policing.

Rob has taken his commitment to a different level. I have been with

the Metropolitan police for just over 49 years. I joined in 1967. The

excitement and doing something for all of us started me off doing it.

Then the bug got me, to get more villains and stop more crime. Until

he retired from his day job three years ago, Rob would work a full day

as an engineer before hitting the streets as a special in the evenings

or at weekends. But nearly half a century of patrolling under his

belt, he has seen some dramatic changes in policing. When Rob joined

in 1967, just 18,000 officers policed London, compared to 30,000

today. Female officers were only allowed to work during the day and

new Scotland Yard had only just been built. This is my great code. I

would have been wearing this in the winter of 1967. Inside is a pocket

for a whistle, our only way of communicating. A stick. That would

be in here. If you needed it, you would just whip it out. The kit may

have changed, but so have the crimes. Sadly, a lot of them are

more domestic violence type calls, or neighbourly disputes. Followed by

sword of the alcohol-related problems, where someone would go

out, drink more than they can cope with, and they become argumentative

or boisterous. Tonight, as Rob and his team are patrolling, an

emergency call comes in over the radio about a disturbance outside a

pub. For six on scene. It is time for the part-time police to spring

into action. The night has now been extended. It used to peter out at

about three o'clock. Now at two o'clock it starts to get busy.

Control, we need a van please. They have been arrested for drunk and

disorderly. The chap had his belt wrapped around his fist and was

using that as a weapon. It is a little bit of an adventure. Just

like regular officers, specials have the power of arrest. The big

differences they do it all for free. We receive no payment. After four

hours we get some payment for a cup of tea and a bun. You get the right

people by having it voluntarily. If people are in it for what they can

get out of it, it is probably not the right reason. I am pleased I

have done 49 years of being a special. It has shown me blue blood

their extreme, extremely brave for good or helpful, to extremely

unhelpful and downright horrid. That's my -- only people in their

extreme. Rob's dedication to the Metropolitan Police -- police

remains. He has no plans to give up just yet. I have still got a goal

for another year, that would give me 50 years, which is a nice round sum.

Maybe there is another goal there somewhere.

I know you are a bit embarrassed by the force but you really have

dedicated your life as a special. What has kept you going? Things

change as life and the world goes on. I originally started doing it

because I wanted something to do in my spare time. I wanted to be

worthwhile and so on. So I joined the specials. As I got more used to

it, I became more involved and it got very addictive. It was a

challenge. And now I am older, I am looking at helping the new specials

when they join, helping them get through the initial training and

getting used to it. You say you are helping new recruits. What advice

are you giving them? Really, they have to take on board there is a

serious commitment. They have to have the time. It is a fantastic eye

-- iron opener. You get a fantastic spectrum of the world and people and

so forth. They will go through all the training. We get the odd person

who comes out the other end and realises they cannot commit. They

leave. That is a tremendous shame. Make sure you know what you are

going into. Rob, we have got a surprise. I know you have come

across at a few Metropolitan police commissioners in your time. The

current one has a special message. What a fantastic job Rob Harrild has

done for London and the Metropolitan Police. Nearly 50 years of voluntary

service. He has put on this uniform, taken all the powers and

responsibilities of being a constable, and taken all the risks,

for no payment. To do that on top of his own life and his own job, a

fantastic man. I just think he is a fantastic advert for voluntary

service. And for me, a fantastic advert for the Metropolitan Police.

So Rob, well done. You deserve all the congratulations.

And from all of us here, you have done an absolutely brilliant job.

Well done. What an inspiration. He certainly

is. Policing has changed a lot since Rob's time. One technique has

remained the same. Fingerprinting has been around

since the early 1900s. It's helped solve countless cases

but when items have distinctive colours or patterns,

it can make retrieving a clear I am joined by Doctor Robert King.

You have been working on a new system? That is right. We have

developed infrared fluorescent fingerprint powders. They were

inspired by nature. They are not toxic. The green powder is based on

a naturally occurring algae. The blue is based on a naturally

occurring mineral. It is based on a pigment. How can these helped see

fingerprints? The way these powders work is that they glow in the

infrared part of the spectrum. That allows us to overcome pre-existing

issues with complicated backgrounds. It may be backgrounds that have

built up with intricate patterns or multiple colours. You have

deliberately brought some things in that are not playing surfaces. A lot

of things you normally like to test our banknotes because -- which are

difficult because of the nature of the colours. This is a Canadian bank

note. Similar to what is going to be introduced in England. That is in

September. If I touch this. You cannot really see anything at the

moment. We were just use the powder in the lead. We were just apply it

to the note. A standard fingerprint brush. Still not seeing anything. We

will put this under an infrared camera. Let's have a look. Already

we can start seeing a print popping up there straightaway. That is very

clear. We can see it on the screen. The beauty of this is we have got a

mobile version of this. That's right. The technology is not just

restricted to laboratory use. You can take the light sources, attach

an infrared camera and view the results live on screen. Straightaway

that is on the computer. You can send to the office. The fingerprint

identification database and look for matches. You have already had a lot

of interest? Yes, police and military are starting to use this

technology. It helps overcome issues that have been long-standing. You

have had a look at the new banknotes. You think it will work

well? Yes, we have tested with the Bank of England. Fascinating. Thank

you. Now, officers from the Met

are on the hunt for a man who's been attacking lone women

in South London. Blackheath is a nice area, it is a

little oasis in London. A lot of people say you would not feel like

you are in London. I have lived my whole life here, it feels like a

village atmosphere. You hear about things happening around, but you do

not hear about things happening in Blackheath. On Saturday the 5th of

December last year, Louise, whose name we have changed to protect her

identity, left a bar in central London after a night out with

friends. Going out with a few friends after work, we went to a bar

and had a few drinks and then left at maybe half past 11. You cannot

get a tube to this area anyway and I saw there was a bus to Lewisham, so

I thought I would get on it because I would be closer to where I want to

be and I could work it out at the other end. The number 47 did not go

near Louise's has, so at around 1:15am she got off the bus near

Lewisham shopping centre and started walking towards the next bus stop. I

started walking up the main road towards Blackheath and there were a

few people around, but I did not feel threatened, I kept my head down

and started walking. I get a bit more nervous when I am going towards

Blackheath because our area is quiet and there are far less people, so

when you see a person you are more wary of them. As she arrived at the

crossroads near Blackheath Park, she spotted

a man walking towards her. I crossed paths with this guy who was walking

the opposite way and he started talking to me and asking me how I

was, what my name was and stuff. I might have said a few times I am

trying to get home, so, leave me alone, I am not interested. The man

started to walk alongside her and told her he had been to a party. He

seemed sober and carried on walking down and was talking the whole way

and saying things like, I love you, I want you to be my girlfriend. At

one point he got down on one knee in front of me and was asking me to

marry him and I was brushing it off saying, no, I am going home. But

then things took a turn for the worse. He grabbed me and he had his

arms around me and I thought, this cannot be happening. Louise was

sexually assaulted. I had this horrible sensation there was nothing

I could do about it. There was no way I could physically get him off

me. I managed to wriggle away and as I was pulling away he calmly

shrugged and turned around in the direction he was going and just

walked off calmly. If anyone else had walked past him a few moments

later, they would have had no idea he had done anything wrong. I turned

around and ran home. Louise managed to get home safely and called the

police. But the months since the attack have not been easy. Everybody

has said I am dealing with it well. In the time I was in shock and two

days afterwards I was physically shaking and I cried about it two

days after. I am more wary when I am walking home. Any guy at the moment

I try and avoid them and if somebody tries to talk to me I do not look at

them or speak to them, I keep walking. It makes you be a bit sick

really. This is someone going out to do this. Until he is caught, he will

keep going. You do not know how far he will go. I really frightening

experience to go through. PC Phil Creswell Nash has been overseeing

the case. We know he has struck several times. We are currently

investigating three linked sexual assault that have occurred in the

Blackheath area. These happened in October, 2015 until December, 2015.

We believe these are linked. He has used the same wording on every

occasion. What types of things is he saying? He says things like, I find

you sexy, can I take you home tonight? But at the end every time

he casually just walks away, leaving these girls distressed. Do we know

any more about the suspect? He is about 5'7" tall, a mixed-race male,

he has got a shaved style of haircut. He wears a red jumper. Is

he likely to attack again? Yes, he could, a further incident happened

in February this year like the previous three and I am keen to

speak to anyone who has any information and call us and we will

look into it. Take another look at the ether because he needs to be

Now it's time for a look at today's Wanted Faces.

Police forces around the country are asking for your

We start with 28-year-old Peter Kerrigan.

He was jailed for six years for numerous distraction burglaries

But whilst on escorted leave from prison, Kerrigan threatened

Kerrigan is known to travel across the UK, including Kent,

Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Hampshire and has friends

He's Mohammed Rajb although he also uses the surnames Rajab and Fathim

He was arrested on suspicion of rape and released on police bail,

but has failed to return to detectives for

Third is this man, Anthony Michael Carroll.

Detectives in Greater Manchester want to question him

about the supply of a large quantity of class A drugs.

Carroll is 32 and has links to Salford.

Finally, this is 31-year-old Sean Otty.

He was jailed for five years for an unprovoked attack on a man

which left the victim with a blood clot on his brain.

Otty was released early from prison, but has failed to stick

to the strict conditions of his release and is now

He has a Liverpudlian accent and a scar under his chin

Call and text using the numbers on screen if you know

I am sitting on the first ever carriage to be used on the Victoria

line and the first person to drive this tube was the Queen. Over 31

million people use London's public transport system every single day.

That's a lot of potential victims for pickpockets to choose from.

The man dips into a lady's handbag while supposedly helping someone

onto the bus. So, the thieves are helping themselves. We have got

another pickpocket inaction concealed by a bag.

You're a magician and stage pickpocket, and you've worked

with the police to raise awareness about this crime.

How are they doing it? I can demonstrate for you. I have some

coins here. I will give you a ?1 chorion, and 50p and ?2 coin. Put

the coins in the pile and put them in your back pocket. OK. Name one of

the coins. 50p. There is nothing else inside? We will go a bit

further this time. I am going to try and take the coin from this hand

into the other hand. Open your hand up. The whole point of that exercise

was to take your watch. That is crazy. You might think this is a

party trick, but have a look at this CCTV footage. What can we see? You

can see these guys are being very friendly and they are getting right

up into your personal space and they are distracting your attention.

Essentially he is so overloaded with information that he does not notice

the fact that they are taking his watch off. That action is made

insignificant by the other actions. I want to find out a bit more about

how people can protect themselves. What do people need to do? Eat your

hand bags and bags fastened and close. Keep your wallet on an inside

pocket. If your possessions are easily accessible, they will take

their chances. You can show us a demonstration. This man is in a bit

of a dream world. Can you tell me how to get to Victoria? As I walked

up and down like this I picked up the telephone and get off at the

next stop. It happen so quickly. What other mistakes can people make?

People leave mobile phones or wallets on the seat next to them. It

does not take much to be distracted by a chat or a sleight of hand. It

does not take an amazing pickpocket to take things right from under your

feet. We are not going to get hoodwinked again? We hope not. But

this morning I have been busy. You might want to talk to your crew

before they go. I have got a watch and a telephone. We need to start

keeping our eyes wide open. I cannot believe that. I am glad he

is on the right side of the law. A quick update. Yesterday, we showed

you the case of 81-year-old Joyce. She was the victim of a vicious

robbery as she walked back from the shops in Folkestone. A number of

good leads have come in and the police are chasing those up. If you

can help, please get in touch. Keep those calls coming in.

Now Michelle where will you be next week?

Thousands of tourists flock to the area at this time of year

and I'll be finding out how police are keeping them safe

For more details about the crimes on today's

But before we go, here's another look at this morning's wanted faces.

If you know where they are, please pick up the phone.

Captain, it's d'Artagnan. There's a riot in Saint-Antoine.