On 15 October 2022, Luke Slater approached the victims in a wooded area near Ethelbert Road and asked them the time. When one of them got her phone out to check, Slater pulled out a knife and threatened them. He then took phones from two of them and chased the third girl who tried to run away, before stealing her phone, some cash and a ring.
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The incident was reported to the police and on 16 November, the robber was arrested at an address in Dagenham, Greater London. Investigators also seized clothing he had been wearing when fleeing the scene of the robberies on a bike. Slater, of Stevenson Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex was selected in an identification procedure and charged with three robberies. He was also charged with six counts of theft from shops in City Way, Delce Road and the High Street, between 5 and 21 October.
