A suspected smartphone thief has been captured on camera after a photo was sent to the mugging victim when he tried to unlock her phone.

The 25-year-old woman had her HTC phone worth £100 stolen when she was approached from behind and pushed to the ground in Westdown Road, Leyton, at around 2pm on August 5.

After hitting the floor, her smartphone was snatched from her hand.

The savvy owner had downloaded a security app that takes a photo when a pin code is entered incorrectly.

According to the police, the picture was sent to the victim's email 15 minutes after the street robbery and mapped the phone's location as nearby Major Road in Stratford. 

Anyone who recognises him is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 4915903/15.