St Albans man's appeal for 'pleasant' thief to return stolen phone

A MAN from St Albans whose brand new iPhone was stolen by a pleasant young man he met in a bar is determined to get it back. Ian Munro, a financial adviser who lives in Ashdales, met the 22-year-old thief in Barney s Bar and Restaurant on London Road w

A MAN from St Albans whose brand new iPhone was stolen by a "pleasant young man" he met in a bar is determined to get it back.

Ian Munro, a financial adviser who lives in Ashdales, met the 22-year-old thief in Barney's Bar and Restaurant on London Road when he went there to meet a client at 2.30pm last Tuesday, March 23.

Ian, who has only had the phone for two months, said that the man, who was from Bangladesh, joined him and his friends and ended up staying with them for about two hours.

Ian, a regular at Barney's Bar, said that the thief struck when the two of them left the bar just before 5pm: "Just as we were both leaving, the man, whose name I now forget, asked to borrow my phone.

"Seeing as he was so nice I had no hesitation in lending it to him, but when I handed it over he bolted! I could not believe it - I genuinely thought he was having a laugh!

"I don't think he is a genuine thief and probably now regrets having a very expensive - and totally useless to him - piece of kit."

Ian, who has reported the incident to the police, said he wanted nothing more than to get the iPhone back and was offering a reward for anyone with information.

"If this young man would like to return my phone, I am willing to forget the matter. If not, he will become very famous around St Albans when his photo is displayed in shop windows across the city."

Ian can be contacted on 01727 848070.