A THIEF grabbed a woman's phone from out of her hands and ran off.

The 'frightening' theft happened in Banbury last week, near St Paul's Church on Warwick Road.

The victim, a woman in her 60s, was walking along using her phone when she noticed a man walking towards her.

He snatched her phone from her and ran away towards a nearby petrol station.

The theft happened at some point between 8.45pm and 9.15pm on Tuesday last week, police said.

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He was described as a black man in his 20s, who could have been wearing gloves.

He was about 5ft 6ins tall and of a slim build, and was wearing a dark colour puffa-style jacket and dark blue trousers. 

 

Investigating officer PC Samantha Devlin, based at Banbury police station, said: "This was a frightening experience for the victim and I am appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

"If you were in the area at the time and remember anything that could help with our investigation, please get in touch."

Anyone with information can call 101, quoting reference number 43200090377, make a report online, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.