STORY
A man who carried out a series of robberies and attacks across the London Underground has had his sentence increased after the Solicitor General referred the case to the Court of Appeal.
Adel Kerari, of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, was originally sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on 9 January 2025 to two years and eight months’ imprisonment for six counts of robbery and one count of fraud. His sentence was increased on Thursday 25 June 2026 to three years and nine months following a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
The court heard that Kerari and other gang members targeted commuters across the London Underground during a two week period in June 2023. Victims were robbed, assaulted and stabbed at stations including Holborn, Russell Square, Leicester Square, Goldhawk Road and Leyton.
On one day, Kerari and his gang attacked and robbed one woman and two men in three separate incidents at Underground stations. The victims had phones stolen, along with wallets and bank cards, and two of them were stabbed. In total, seven people were targeted in six separate incidents.
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves said Kerari had targeted lone passengers in a spree of violence and welcomed the Court of Appeal’s decision to increase the sentence. She said violent criminals and gangs threatened the safety of towns and cities, and that she would pursue action to ensure sentences reflected the seriousness of violent crimes.
British Transport Police Detective Sergeant Tony Gittins said Kerari was a dangerous and violent criminal who had launched a series of robberies across the London Underground. Transport for London said the offences were serious and violent, adding that it continued to work with police to tackle robbery and violent crime across the network.