Appeal after moped-riding suspects try to snatch woman’s handbag

Officers investigating the attempted robbery of a woman are appealing for further witnesses.

A member of the public called police after reportedly seeing three people on a moped try to snatch the victim’s handbag.

She managed to wrestle her bag back before fleeing into a nearby house, while the attackers rode away from the scene.

This happened in Jubilee Way North, Mansfield, around 6.25pm yesterday (4 January), with police being notified soon after.

The moped had a broken number plate and front-end damage and was reportedly seen riding around Mansfield throughout the day.

A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery earlier today (5 January), while inquiries are ongoing to track down others suspected of being involved in the incident.

Police are now appealing for anyone who saw what happened or has any more information to come forward.

They also want to speak to the victim, who didn’t report the incident herself, so has yet to be identified as a result.

Detective Inspector Mark Booth, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“This is a very serious incident, so we’re naturally keen to speak to anyone who knows anything about what happened.

“That includes the victim, who will have understandably been left shaken up by what happened, but who hasn’t yet reported it to the police.

“If that person was you and you were targeted in the manner described, we’d ask that you please contact us, so we can track down those responsible.

“We also want to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident, or who saw a moped matching this description riding around the Mansfield area yesterday.”

Information can be reported by calling 101, quoting incident 425 of 4 January 2025, or by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.