Now boy of 10 is gun victim

A 10-year-old boy was forced to hand over £25 Christmas money by an armed robber who threatened to shoot his friend in the latest gunpoint mugging.

Nathaniel Dias was in a takeaway restaurant with two friends when he was approached by a man believed to be armed with a handgun, Scotland Yard said today.

The attacker pushed the gun into his friend's stomach and demanded mobile phones and cash before escaping. Nathaniel said today: "The man said to me if I didn't give him money he would take my friend outside and shoot him in the head."

This week a 19-year-old woman was shot in the head in Walthamstow by a street robber who stole her mobile phone. She is recovering at home and is due to be interviewed today by detectives using special memory recollection techniques.

The latest thefts come as Scotland Yard's Deputy Commissioner Ian Blair admits the force is buckling under the pressure of "unprecedented" street crime. Officers are worried the use of guns in muggings will become commonplace. Latest figures show a 35 per cent increase in street crime in London between April and November, compared with the same period in 2000.

Nathaniel, from Honor Oak, near Lewisham, said: "The man showed me the gun. I was very scared and was in the corner shaking. He took the £25 present given to me by my gran." His mother Sam Dias, 37, said: "My son said he was crying as the gunman searched his pockets and nobody did anything to help. Nathaniel and I just want this man off the streets. The next time he does this he is going hurt an innocent child."

The incident at the restaurant in Crofton Park, Lewisham, occurred on 28 December at 3.25pm. Detective Constable Dean Johnson believes the gunman was seen near Barclays Bank on the day of the robbery, watching customers using the cash machine. He said he could not be sure if the gun was a genuine firearm or fake.

Mr Johnson said: "This was a vicious and terrible attack on three youngsters and it is worrying it can happen in broad daylight. The children were very scared and this man needs to be caught." The robber is black, aged about 30 and 5ft 10in.

Deputy Commissioner Blair said: "We are facing unprecedented levels of demand.

The street crime figures are extremely uncomfortable and it comes as no surprise to find that, somewhere in the many functions the Metropolitan Police has to deliver on, something is giving - street crime and the visible presence of officers on the street."

Between September and November there were 19,248 muggings and street thefts compared with 8,614 in the same period in 2000. The number of people robbed at gunpoint in London rose by 53 per cent in the six months to November compared with 2000.

The Walthamstow victim was shot in the head as she walked along Lea Bridge Road on New Year's Day. She has 10 stitches in a five-inch scar that runs from her forehead and into her hairline, where the bullet created a jagged cut.

She is making a good recovery at home, her father said today. The teenager left hospital last night and is able to walk but is "exhausted".

Her father said: "She is feeling a bit better today and the swelling in her head is going down, although she does have a lot of stitches.

"The real problem is the shock. I think it was a real shock for her and she lost a lot of blood, so she is feeling tired and shaken."

The victim is helping police to compile-an e-fit of the man who shot her. Detective Constable Mark Hamilton said: "It could have been disastrous. I have never seen anything like it and I spent five years in the murder squad. It is a terrifying thought this man is still out and about.

" The victim is absolutely exhausted and is receiving a lot of support from her family. She is grateful to be alive."

Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir John Stevens has made clear his intention to recruit up to 700 police "auxiliaries" to carry out the extra anti-terrorism patrols so officers can get back to protecting the public.

The main attraction for muggers is mobile phones, which account for more than a third of all street crime in London. They are committed by teenagers and schoolchildren - some as young as the latest 10-yearold victim.

Police are working with the mobile phone industry to try to make them less attractive to robbers and are advising users to be more careful.

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