Gamer helps catch man who took phone call from probation officer during robbery
An armed robber who took a phone call from his probation officer during a flat raid was caught after the robbery was broadcast to a gamer 25 miles away who was playing an online X-Box game with one of his victims, police in England have said.
Jay Georgiou, 19, and an accomplice burst in and threatened three men on the trio at their home in Eastbourne, East Sussex on April 1 while one of them was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 with a friend in Brighton.
Georgiou, who wore a crash helmet during the robbery, hit one of the men with his imitation handgun and the robbers both threatened to shoot and stab them if they did not give them money and drugs.
They then tied up their victims and made off from the flat in Tenterden Close with a laptop, mobile phones and the X-Box with games, Sussex Police said.
But the friend in Brighton had heard the attack via his gaming headset and called police, who got a description and arrested Georgiou a mile away in Milfoil Drive two hours later.
Detective constable Richard Holder said today: “This was a terrifying incident for the victims who appear to have been targeted entirely by mistake.
“The robbers were brutal in their treatment of the friends but Georgiou even stopped during the incident to take a phone call from his probation officer as he had missed an appointment.
“We will continue to work to track down the other robber involved so that he too can face justice like Georgiou.”
Georgiou, of Northbourne Road, Eastbourne, was jailed for eight years for robbery and possession of an imitation firearm at Brighton Crown Court on July 11, court officials confirmed.
The second man was wearing a ski mask or balaclava during the 5pm raid on the flat and threatened the men with a knife he picked up in their kitchen, police said.
He is believed to be white with ginger hair and aged between 20 and 25.
