Peterborough man who went on ‘crime rampage’ in city brought to justice by half eaten apple

Abdul Al-Maglub, of no fixed address, burgled an elderly day care centre, threatened staff at a bank and damaged a roadworks barrier by cutting it with a saw.

The 20-year-old’s crime spree began when he targeted the day care centre at the Cresset, in Bretton, on 5 February.

He forced open a red emergency exit door at just after 10pm before sleeping inside overnight.

CCTV revealed him leaving the next day, at 9.43am, wearing a top hat and woman’s headscarf stolen from inside. He had also eaten food in the centre, smashed an internal office window door and left items scattered around.

A laptop was used to access YouTube and play Arabic music, while the half-eaten apple was left and provided the DNA evidence.

That same day (6 February), Al-Maglub, began shouting at members of the public in Peterborough city centre so was asked to leave the area by police.

However, less than 30 minutes later, he was spotted returning to the city centre armed with a small handsaw. CCTV captured him walking up to an orange temporary roadworks barrier before sawing a piece off.

Al-Maglub continued walking towards the city centre and was sawing at lamp posts, bollards, manhole covers and windows as he did so.

He was arrested a short while later in Cathedral Square and the saw was found abandoned nearby.

The following day (7 February), while officers were at the Cresset Centre investigating the burglary and Al-Maglub had been released on bail, a call came in alerting them to a man wearing a top hat and causing criminal damage while armed with a wooden stick and metal pole in Peterborough city centre.

Al-Maglub was arrested again, and further enquiries found CCTV which showed him waving a wooden stick and metal pole in the street menacingly and aggressively and in full view of passers-by.

The footage showed him jumping into a shop door and causing criminal damage to TSB Bank, Nationwide and Halifax.

When interviewed, Al-Maglub answered “no comment” to all questions but, when asked if he had anything to add, said he was a “good boy” and had “done nothing wrong”.

Two days later, on the morning of 9 February, the defendant visited Metro Bank in Long Causeway, Peterborough.

He began shouting, swearing and banging on the bank’s doors to be let in, but was told he no longer had an account with the bank due to his previous intimidating and inappropriate behaviour.

Al-Maglub invited the bank manager outside and made threats before returning two more times.

He again asked for money and said to staff: “You don’t know me, look who I am, A for Allah T for terrorist”.

His comments and erratic behaviour panicked both staff and customers and he was arrested.

In interview he admitted making the comments and claimed he was spelling his postcode, adding that “terrorist” was simply the first word he thought of to explain the letter T. He denied trying to panic or cause fear to anyone at the bank.

Statements were taken from two staff members at the bank and one of them told police he had seen a CCTV appeal for a separate crime on the force’s Twitter account, in which he had then recognised Al-Maglub as the man pictured.

The theft took place on 22 January and the victim, who was sat at a bus stop at 1.45pm, had his phone taken.

Al-Maglub admitted theft, affray, burglary and four counts of criminal damage. He also admitted separate charges of affray and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon, all of which took place in Croydon, London, on 17 January.

He was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court today (2 November) where he was handed a total of one year and nine months in a Young Offender Institution.

DC Igor Simonov said: “This was a shocking series of offences but thanks to witnesses, CCTV, a media appeal and forensics, Al-Maglub was linked to the crimes and has now been brought to justice.

“The case highlights our commitment to removing those who pose a risk to the public from the streets.”