Warning issued to gym-goers after thief used locker code to target bank accounts
Declan Murphy correctly predicted his victim’s locker code would be the same as his phone and bank card Pins.
Police have warned gym-goers not to use the same Pin code for their lockers and bank cards after a prolific thief targeted luxury health clubs.
Declan Murphy, 35, secretly watched while a man entered his gym locker code, and guessed it would be the same as his phone and bank card Pins before stealing £500 from his account.
He bought himself time to take the money by drenching the man’s phone to damage it.
Murphy was found to be using membership cards under false names to repeatedly access Third Space and Nuffield Health gyms, a court heard.
Police said the technique has been used by other criminals, and warned the public to always use different codes for lockers and bank cards.
On Friday, Murphy, of Bromley, was jailed for two years and three months at Isleworth Crown Court having pleaded guilty to three counts of theft and 11 counts of fraud by false representation.
Sentencing the father-of-two, His Honour Judge Edward Connell described his offending as “pre-planned” and “well practised”.
In September 2024, the qualified carpenter watched as a man, who had only joined the gym after his wife died from cancer, put his four-digit code into his locker at a Third Space luxury health club in the City of London, City of London Police said.
He then broke into the locker, and correctly guessed that the code would be the same as the man’s phone and bank card Pins.
His victim later discovered Murphy had phoned the bank pretending to be him, and was given internet access to the bank accounts.
Murphy then drenched his victim’s phone in water to damage it, stopping the man from accessing his banking app.
The man noticed a missed call from his bank, but struggled to return the call because of the state of his phone.
Murphy withdrew £500 from a cash machine, and later the same day, unsuccessfully tried to buy £5,400 worth of items from an Apple store.
The court heard how the theft increased the “sense of loneliness” of his grieving victim.
Murphy is £15,000 in debt, and stole the cards to try and pay off what he owes, the sentencing hearing was told.
“It seems your motivation has been financial having accumulated significant debts,” the judge said.
He also withdrew £1,750 of cash using three different bank cards stolen from a different gym, and used a separate stolen card to try and withdraw £600 in cash.
The victims who lost money were eventually compensated by their banks, the court heard.
Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Ives, of City of London Police, said: “People who visit gyms expect their belongings to be safe in their lockers and don’t tend to expect anyone to be looking over their shoulder and stealing their Pin.
“Unfortunately, we know this is a method is used by prolific criminals like Murphy.
“Our message is clear, do not have the same Pin code for your locker as your phone or bank card Pins.”
As well as the jail term, Murphy was handed a criminal behaviour order banning him from visiting any Third Space or Nuffield Health gyms for six years.
