Overview

• Duarte snatched a phone from a victim’s hand on Ludgate Hill at midday on August 7, 2024, before bystanders tackled him off his e-bike.
• His trainer came off during the scuffle and CCTV captured him fleeing the scene wearing only one shoe.
• City of London Police sent the recovered shoe for DNA profiling and obtained a match on the national database.
• Metropolitan Police officers arrested Duarte on September 9, 2024, and he appeared at Inner London Crown Court on June 23, 2025.
• After admitting one count of theft, he awaits sentencing on September 12, 2025, in a case that underscores forensic DNA’s role in criminal investigations.