Gutsy Sophie Habibis has revealed how she chased a robber down the street after he snatched her phone.
But the 20-year-old of Tufnell Park warned other young woman not to follow suit as it wasn’t worth risking your own safety.
Sophie, who was the seventh contestant to leave the talent contest, was robbed for her iPhone at around 8pm on Tuesday night as she walked along the Holloway end of Tufnell Park Road.
She said: “It was dark and all that, but it’s not like I’ve never walked down a road on my own before. I got off the phone and some guy came along on a bike behind me and just snatched it and gave me a little push, and I chased him down the road.
“I’m sure a few people will have heard me shouting ‘grab him’. It’s just natural instinct for me – I think if someone has something of yours, you’re going to try and get it back. My first reaction was just to chase them down the road.
“It’s not the greatest of ideas but I’m just like that, I will try my hardest to defend my ground. But it’s not a clever idea, especially for girls out there. Don’t do it, just let it go – because, at the end of the day, your safety is the most important thing.”
Sophie is the latest in a long line of mobile phone theft victims – the Gazette recently reported that there were 126 iPhone thefts involving bike-riding muggers just last month, while the number of mobile phones stolen soared dramatically in the year to April, rising by 34 per cent to 3,140.
But the former Acland Burghley School pupil said she will not let the ordeal put her off walking around at night. “I think anywhere is dangerous late at night – even in the day time bad things can happen. I don’t fear for my life when I walk down the road but I’m starting to realise now the older you get that your eyes need to be more open to what’s around you. But there’s always going to be little thieves after your phone.”