Walking home last night along a sparsely populated part of the Harrow Road, I passed a bloke at a bus stop speaking into a mobile. He looked like a foreign visitor although without any baggage. He approached me and said "one second please?" holding out his mobile for me to take and listen to.
At this point I shook my head, quickened up my pace and made sure he wasn't following. My reasoning being this could have been a distraction mugging - while I grasped the mobile he'd have lunged for my wallet, or pulled a weapon..
Of course it could equally have been a tourist lost in London, trying to tell his friend on the mobile where he was situated. My judgement at the time was since he didn't have luggage, and the use of the expression "one second please", that the situation was too dodgy. Did I let down someone in need?
At this point I shook my head, quickened up my pace and made sure he wasn't following. My reasoning being this could have been a distraction mugging - while I grasped the mobile he'd have lunged for my wallet, or pulled a weapon..
Of course it could equally have been a tourist lost in London, trying to tell his friend on the mobile where he was situated. My judgement at the time was since he didn't have luggage, and the use of the expression "one second please", that the situation was too dodgy. Did I let down someone in need?
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