TikTok's London HQ raided by thief who stole 54 mobile phones worth £18,000

Robert Smith, 38, spent more than an hour walking around the office after sneaking into the building
Robert Smith pictured outside Southwark crown court
ES
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

A prolific burglar who walked into TikTok’s headquarters in London and stole mobile phones worth more than £18,000 is facing jail.

Robert Smith, 38, spent more than an hour walking around the social media giant’s London offices at 180 The Strand after sneaking into the building.

Southwark crown court heard he swiped 54 handsets worth £18,585 during the afternoon raid on July 22, 2021.

Smith pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary, and could face a prison term when he is sentenced next month.

The court heard he has convictions for 24 previous burglaries on his record, mainly at business premises and one at a residential home.

"On July 22 2021 at TikTok headquarters in London, Mr Smith stole 54 phones in total, worth over £18,500," said prosecutor Lynn Fanshawe.

The sentencing hearing was delayed on Monday until February 9, when prosecutors are set to argue he should face a spell behind bars.

"This is seriously aggravated by what appears to be a career of burglary," said Ms Fanshawe.

"The custodial threshold is well and truly passed, and immediate custody must be a consideration."

Defence barrister, Joe Hingston, said Smith is the primary carer for his two children, and he will argue for a suspended sentence at the hearing next month.

"I cannot say a custodial sentence is ruled out, particularly given the defendant's previous convictions," said Recorder Alex Lock.

"It certainly seems like something the Crown would be submitting is appropriate, and I agree more information is required as to the defendant's childcare responsibilities and what would happen in circumstances where a custodial sentence is imposed.

"I'm content to adjourn to allow information to be gathered."

Smith, from Bermondsey in southeast London, was granted bail until the sentencing hearing.

He pleaded guilty to theft at a hearing in June last year.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in