London man jailed following Crewe knife‑point robbery

A man from London has been jailed for committing an armed robbery at a mobile phone shop in Crewe.

Steven Zehi, of Great Amwell Lane, Hornsey in London, was jailed for eight years and six months at Wood Green Crown Court on Monday 17th August after previously pleading guilty to three counts of robbery and possession of a knife in a public place.

During the hearing, the court was told that on Friday 27th June 2025, Zehi entered a mobile phone retailer in the Market Street area of Crewe and made enquiries about purchasing a phone.

A member of staff showed Zehi a number of devices, including an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Zehi then attempted to snatch two phones from the counter. When the shop worker resisted and challenged his behaviour, Zehi produced a knife and made threats to stab him, stating that he would return later to kill him.

Following the confrontation, Zehi fled the scene with the iPhone.

Officers attended the shop shortly afterwards and launched an investigation, supported by a description of the suspect provided by the victim.

CCTV enquiries showed that a man matching the suspect’s description fled the Market Street area towards Crewe Railway Station before boarding a train.

Retroactive facial recognition software was used on CCTV footage taken both inside the shop and at Crewe Station, resulting in a positive identification of Steven Zehi.

With Zehi identified as the suspect, he was circulated as wanted to police forces nationwide and to the British Transport Police.

Zehi was later located and arrested by Armed Response Officers and British Transport Police as his train arrived at Coventry Station approximately two-and-a-half hours after the incident.

Officers recovered both the stolen iPhone and the knife used in the robbery upon his arrest.

Zehi was later transported back to Cheshire for interview. However, the 28‑year‑old refused to leave his cell and declined to answer any questions put to him by officers.

Enquiries also identified Zehi being wanted for two other robbery offences in London on Wednesday 30 April and Tuesday 10 June 2025, which he also pleaded guilty to in court.

Inspector Dan Welch, of Crewe Local Policing Unit’s Neighbourhood Team, said:

"I am very glad to see the Steven Zehi has been held accountable for his actions and will be spending the foreseeable future behind bars.

"The victim in this incident was left considerably shaken by the ordeal and showed considerable bravery despite the situation. Nobody should ever expect to go to work and be faced with the threat of physical violence or serious injury whilst simply trying to do their job.

"What this case has shown is that the installation of CCTV cameras in local business and retail settings can be crucial in enabling investigating officers to identify suspects.

"It was the use of CCTV footage taken from the scene of the robbery and at Crewe Station, paired with the deployment of Retroactive Facial Recognition software that allowed officers to quickly identify Zehi as our suspect, circulate him as wanted, and then have him arrested by BTP colleagues less than three hours after the offence took place.

"I would like take this opportunity to thank our policing colleagues both within Cheshire and on the railway networks and beyond for their efforts that has allowed us to secure this conviction."

Pictured - Steven Zehi of Great Amwell Lane, Hornsey in London.