By Ria Newman & Monica Charsley
An influencer was in the middle of vlogging when a thief snatched her phone - before giving it back when she said please.
Sophie Hockings, 28, was on the way to get her smear test in Highbury, North London, when the cyclist brazenly stole her device. But the TikToker decided to follow him and pleaded with him to give it back. She was left stunned after she said "please give the phone back" and he actually did.
She uploaded the bizarre encounter after she later realised her phone recorded the entire incident. Sophie said she has been left wary about where she walks as she thought Highbury was a "family-friendly" area. The video, which has since amassed one million views, was classed the "most British thing ever".
Speaking about the incident, she said: "I was walking to my doctor's appointment and turned down a quiet street, so I decided to film a little clip for my daily vlog, which I often do in London. I was talking about going to get my smear test and reminding girls to book their annual appointment in too when a hand came over my shoulder and grabbed my phone.
"The lad was on a bike and had ridden through parked cars over the grass to come onto the pavement. He snatched the phone and then started to ride off. He wasn't going very fast and my instinct was to follow him. He turned around and when I asked him to please give it back he threw it on the ground.
"By the time I had retrieved the phone he was gone. Some lovely strangers had asked if I was OK. I went on with my day and it wasn't until later I realised I had filmed the entire thing. I think he threw it back either because the phone locked or he thought it was on FaceTime/ videoing his face."
The footage shows Sophie urging other people to book their cervical screening tests, holding her phone in front of her while filming her face. A person on a bicycle approaches and snatches it from her hand, while Sophie screams. TikTok viewers were equally horrified - but amused by Sophie retaining good manners when asking for her phone.
One person commented: "So sorry this happened to you girlie but the fact you still kept your manners and said please." Another viewer said: "Manners really is everything." A third wrote: "Not you being so polite." Another person said: "The most British thing ever saying please." Reflecting on the experience, Sophie added: "Looking back on it I feel very shaken up. I used to feel so safe in Highbury and Islington but not so much anymore.
"I will certainly be a lot more careful from now on and won't be walking down that street again. I've had so many comments saying Highbury is a particularly awful part of London for this type of crime and hundreds of others that this has happened to as well. It's very scary and you feel so helpless in the situation. I don't want it to stop me vlogging, but I won't be doing it on the street like that again, which is a shame as I love creating London content."
