Ladbible X Whatsapp
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Blind BBC reporter knocks thief off bike after phone gets snatched from hand

Home> News

Published 15:53 27 Dec 2022 GMT

Blind BBC reporter knocks thief off bike after phone gets snatched from hand

The presenter believes he was targeted because he is blind

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

A blind BBC News correspondent has described how he tackled a thief who stole his phone and attempted to get away on a bike.

Reporter Sean Dilley, who also acts as project lead for the BBC’s Reframing Disability Programme, took to Twitter this morning (27 December) to share his ordeal after it took place during the Christmas holidays.

Dilley shared a picture of his injured leg and explained that he sustained the injuries after an encounter with a man on a bike who 'snatched and stole' his iPhone straight out of his hand.

Advert

Sean's phone was stolen straight out of his hand.
@seandilleyNEWS

The thief attempted to get away, but Dilley made clear he'd targeted the 'wrong blind person' on the 'wrong day'.

Dilley was born with congenital blindness, which leaves people with permanent and irreversible or severely impaired vision.

In a series of follow-up tweets, the reporter described what sounded like a move fit for an action movie as he took a 'running jump' to dive on to the thief, knocking him off his bike and on to the floor.

Dilley's quick actions allowed him to get his phone back from the thief, and he held on to him as he called the police.

Advert

"I did let him go after a few minutes, but only when others arrived to help me," Dilley explained. "I absolutely could have continued to detain the gentleman, but I got my phone back and I actually didn’t want to risk injuring him I had him safely, detained on the floor, with my body weight across his legs and his wrists held to the floor."

Explaining his decision to let him go, Dilley said: "I apprehended him in fact I arrested him and advised him as such.

"The thing is, it had been a few minutes and I had my phone back I decided discretion is the better part of valour police are checking the CCTV if they spot him, he will be arrested by them."

Dilley let the man go after catching him.
@seandilleyNEWS/Twitter

The presenter 'strongly suspect[s]' he was targeted because he was blind.

Advert

Dilley said the incident left him feeling 'quite sore', and while in hindsight he realised 'no property is worth risking your life for' he admitted he is 'so glad' he managed to detain the thief, who he believes had the 'shock of his life' after Dilley caught him.

Twitter users have shown their support for Dilley after he shared his story, with many celebrating his decision to try and catch the thief.

One person responded: "I don’t know how in earth you did this without sight! Well done."

Dilley has said the Met Police are 'investigating a possible attempted robbery offence' as a result of his ordeal.

LADbible has contacted the Met Police for a comment.

Featured Image Credit: seandilleyNEWS/Twitter

Topics: Crime, UK News, BBC, Twitter

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

14 hours ago
15 hours ago
  • 14 hours ago

    Tesla driver left people in shock after sharing first electricity bill in 12 months

    Stocks may well be down, but the vibes are up

    News
  • 14 hours ago

    300 million people see world completely differently thanks to common deficiency that mostly affects men

    The condition affects around eight percent of men across the world

    News
  • 14 hours ago

    Man who makes a living pretending to be Kim Jong-un reveals what he’d say to the dictator

    Howard X has been impersonating North Korea's Kim Jong-un since 2013

    News
  • 15 hours ago

    Final dolphins 'left for dead' in abandoned marine park rescued after five others died

    They were removed from their festering tanks earlier this month

    News
  • BBC documentary recalls shocking moment urban explorer discovered body of man missing for a year
  • BBC remove controversial moment in scene that would never air today from old Tracy Beaker episode
  • British dad-of-three killed on stag do in Prague after being hit with glass bottle in a ‘blind attack’
  • 'Britain's Tiger King' banned from owning animals after officials made a horrifying freezer discovery