
This is the shocking moment an Australian television presenter tried to stop masked thieves stealing a £15,000 television camera from her crew in a trendy London street just moments after they finished a live piece on the Royal Family.

Reporter Laurel Irving and cameraman Jimmy Cannon were in Exmouth Market, Islington, beginning a pre-recorded segment on the Grenfell fire for Channel 7's Sunrise morning show when they were approached by a pair of men in balaclavas in the popular 'hipster' area.

One of the men approached Mr Cannon and threatened him with a gun in his jacket, forcing him to hand over his £15,000 camera.

Mother-of-two Ms Irving, who has daughters aged 10 and 12, then tried to wrestle it back and demanded the thief 'show her the gun' before Mr Cannon convinced her to let go and the robbers escaped with the equipment on bicycles.

Speaking to MailOnline, Ms Irving said grabbing the camera was a 'gut reaction'.

She said: 'We weren't scared, we were just annoyed. I just grabbed the camera and Jimmy said "He's got a gun," so I said "Show me the gun," and it was that at that point I realised I was being silly and it was dangerous so I let go.'

Ms Irving later thanked fans on Twitter and praised colleague Jimmy Cannon for how he handled the robbery.

She said: 'Thanks everyone for the love. We're all good. @7_Cannon was fantastic. The London crime rate though is crazy.'

The incident on Monday night comes amid a huge crime wave across London with moped gangs running amok, including repeated raids on jewellers and a smash and grab attack on comedian Michael McIntyre, whose £15,000 Rolex was stolen by thugs who battered his Range Rover with a hammer while his 10-year-old son was inside.

Laurel Irving (pictured) and her cameraman Jimmy Cannon had just finished a live cross from Islington, in London's inner north, on Wednesday when they were approached by two men on bikes

Footage from a car dashcam shows Mr Cannon being approached by a man dressed in black clothes and a mask as he is filming a pre-recorded piece with Ms Irving. He is threatened with a weapon and unclips the camera to hand over to the thief after he 'calmly told him to hand it over because he had a gun'

Ms Irving is pictured trying to intervene as she grabbed the camera and said 'show me the gun' to the robber, before realising the danger and giving up

Ms Irving follows the thief and takes a picture of him riding away. She told MailOnline she fears the crime rate in London and the brazen thieves who 'know they can get away with it'

Ms Irving managed to take a photo of the thieves as they were cycling away from the scene while carrying the camera

Ms Irving told MailOnline the incident was a 'perfect storm' of bad luck and they were only at Exmouth Market because of technical faults at their studio in Clerkenwell.

She said: 'I rang Jimmy and said can you meet me at Exmouth Market. We can only have been there 20 minutes when it happened.

'We had just finished a piece on who is the busiest Royal; it wasn't even a serious matter.

The presenter later Tweeted about the incident and praised her cameraman Jimmy Cannon before describing London's crime rate as 'crazy'

'Then we had about 15 minutes of pre-recorded pieces to get done and we started and I saw these guys in balaclavas and I thought "That's weird", but I was too busy to notice what was really going on.

'I've been in hairy situations before like in Rio for the Olympics, but there we knew it could be dangerous. Here we were in a nice part of London, surrounded by people and we let our guards down.

'We get approached by idiots all the time because of our work so when the guys turned up I thought it was something like that. I couldn't see what was happening.

'Then I saw Jimmy handing over the camera and I just grabbed it. I was annoyed because I had so much more work to do; I hadn't grasped the situation, I was in the zone.

'I look back and I know it was silly and it all clicked after I said show me the gun.'

She added the incident has made her reluctant to film outside again for fear of another incident.

Ms Irving said: 'These guys did this thinking they could get away with it. They did not care about the consequences.

'This is a big bit of equipment and they rode away on bicycles in a busy area covered with CCTV cameras. It's just brazen and they do it because they know they can get away with it.

'We are going to be pretty reluctant to film things outside again and given the time difference we often have to film at night.

'If you are not safe in Exmouth Market with loads of people around and CCTV everywhere, where are you safe?'

Mr Cannon's car dashcam also captured the chilling moment the thieves rode up to the scene dressed all in black, pictured

Both Mr Cannon and Ms Irving told MailOnline they were not confident they would get the camera back but praised police for their quick response

Ms Irving, pictured with cameraman Jimmy Cannon in London in February, said they were filming for a pre-recorded segment when he was approached by the thieves and tried to keep the camera from them

The incident comes months after a moped gang dressed all in black tried to steal a BBC camera from Putney Bridge being used to broadcast the boat race

How London's never-ending toll of moped thefts, robberies and attacks keeps rising The spotlight was thrown on moped crime following a spate of acid attacks and robberies last year, including one attempt to steal the phone of former Chancellor George Osborne. The apparent impunity with which gangs stole mobile phones, wallets and watches from victims led to police vowing a crackdown on the crimes. But a steady stream of shocking offences has continued into this year, with every region of the capital being affected by the crime plague. The map below shows just some of the attacks reported so far in 2018. 1. January 10 - Moped thieves carrying knives rob a Tesco Express in Belsize Road, Swiss Cottage before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash. 2. January 24 - Two moped riding thieves spend an entire day robbing people in Cambridge Heath Road and Mile End Road, Tower Hamlets. 3. January 29 - Members of the public, including an 80-year-old grandmother, intervene when would-be robbers attempt to steal the moped of a man in Crouch End. 4. February 4 - Man is stabbed after he fought back against moped robbers in Oxford Street. 5. March 7 - Investment banker tackled moped thief to the ground after hearing him breaking into his car outside his apartment in Beaufort Street, Chelsea. 6. March 18 - Moped gang armed with sledgehammers and knives attack watch shop in Regent Street. 7. March 21 - Simon Jordan, the chairman of Crystal Palace Football Club, is robbed of his £100,000 watch by moped thieves in Sumner Road, Croydon. 8. March 22 - Gang armed with angle grinder attempt to steal £100,000 BBC cameras set up on Putney Bridge and Barnes Bridge to record the University Boat Race. 9. April 5 - Delivery driver is dragged from his moped and stabbed during a brutal attack in Ronnie Lane, Manor Park. Group of teenagers make off with his bike. 10. April 7 - Moped gang armed with metal bars break into shop on Oxford Street before stealing luxury watches. 11. April 19 - Two men on a motorbike armed with a machete confront 17-year-old on Marlborough Road, Sutton and steal his moped. 12. May 2 - Five masked youths demanded mobile phones and money from boys in Albert Road Recreation Ground, Muswell Hill. 13. May 10 - Masked youths on three mopeds drove at parents on the school-run in The Avenue, Muswell Hill in attempt to rob them. 14. May 11 - Courier is forced to fight off two would-be motorbike thieves after they attacked him in a side street in Shepherd's Bush. 15. June 4 - Comedian Michael McIntyre is robbed of his watch as he sits in his car in Golders Green. 16. June 5 - Members of the public intervene to tackle gang of robbers raiding a watch shop on Regent Street. Advertisement

She added: 'I have two young daughters here aged 10 and 12 and I worry about them. I'm going to make sure they are very careful at night and don't have anything valuable on show if they are out late.

'This type of things colours your view of an otherwise great city.'

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Cannon, 30, said he was immediately suspicious of the men after noticing them turn up in the busy street.

He said: 'I thought, "It's not cold enough for those masks," and straight away I thought "something's going on".

'I thought they might be going for my car or me or Laurel; I wasn't really concerned about the gear. I'd heard of things happening in west London and a couple of colleagues got mugged there but we were in the north and I thought we'd be alright.

'But these guys were scoping the place out. I wondered if I was being paranoid but then I saw one of them bend down and get something out of his pants and put it in his jacket.

'I was thinking and I knew Laurel was attached to the equipment so there was no easy way for us to get away, so I was looking around for what I could use as a weapon if they got violent.

'You expect it in Rio but not in London': Channel 7 reporter fears rising crime rate in the UK capital after theft of television camera Laurel Irving is the European correspondent for Channel 7 News and moved to the UK with her partner Nicholas and two daughters in January. The journalist has worked for the network for around 10 years and has recently been seen covering topics ranging from the 'Beast from the East' snowstorms to the Royal Wedding. Previously based in Melbourne, she has also covered major events including the 2016 Rio Olympics. she told MailOnline she enjoyed London but does fear for the safety of people in the city following the spike in crime, particularly moped gangs. Speaking to MailOnline about the incident, she said: 'We had just finished a piece on who is the busiest Royal; it wasn't even a serious matter. The journalist, pictured in Rio during the 2016 Olympics, said she tried to wrestle the camera back only to be told the thief 'had a gun' 'Then we had about 15 minutes of pre-recorded pieces to get done and we started and I saw these guys in balaclavas and I thought "That's weird", but I was too busy to notice what was really going on. 'I've been in hairy situations before like in Rio for the Olympics, but there we knew it could be dangerous. Here we were in a nice part of London, surrounded by people and we let our guards down. 'We get approached by idiots all the time because of our work so when the guys turned up I thought it was something like that. I couldn't see what was happening. 'Then I saw Jimmy handing over the camera and I just grabbed it. I was annoyed because I had so much more work to do; I hadn't grasped the situation, I was in the zone. 'I look back and I know it was silly and it all clicked after I said show me the gun.' Ms Irving, pictured with her husband Nicholas, said the thieves were dressed in 'up-market' clothes with balaclavas on She added: 'We are going to be pretty reluctant to film things outside again and given the time difference we often have to film at night. 'If you are not safe in Exmouth Market with loads of people around and CCTV everywhere, where are you safe? 'But this will not stop us doing our jobs.' She added: 'I have two young daughters here aged 10 and 12 and I worry about them. I'm going to make sure they are very careful at night and don't have anything valuable on show if they are out late. 'This type of things colours your view of an otherwise great city.' Advertisement

'While Laurel was talking to camera, this guy comes up to me and says "Oi, oi, I have a gun in my jacket, unclip the camera, hand it to me now".

'He said it over and over. He wasn't yelling, but he was forceful and aggressive. So I unclipped it and Laurel thought it was some drunk idiot so she stepped in.

'Whether he had a gun or not, I don't know, but I figured he probably had a knife so it was not worth it.'

Mr Cannon, who lives in Islington and has been in the UK for two years, said 'there was never a choice' between giving up the camera or fighting back.

He added: 'There is chaos around here at the moment with all the moped attacks; there's crimes every day. I always thought it would be a case of "when and not if".

'I've called 999 three times since I moved here; I've seen a gang armed with baseball bats and a couple of Deliveroo drivers robbed; I was not shocked it happened.'

Ms Irving, pictured in left Paris, is European correspondent for Channel 7 News in Australia and has worked with Mr Cannon, right with a camera, since arriving in London

The journalist, based in London and pictured outside Downing Street, said she never saw the thieves brandish any weapons

Mr Cannon described the muggers as in their late 20s/early 30s, well built and Caucasian with London accents.

He also praised the police for their quick response and said the officers who dealt with them were 'fantastic'.

Ms Irving told Melbourne-based 3AW radio the incident happened at about 10pm on Monday night.

She said: We never saw any weapons but Jimmy was convinced that if he didn't have a gun he would have had a knife.

'The thing that didn't trigger alarm bells for me was that they were dressed in quite up-market active wear.

'They weren't the scuzzy kind of down and outs of the world, they looked more together than that and they were riding mountain bikes.'

'A robbery was when and not if': Cameraman, 30, reveals how 'annoying' robbery took place Jimmy Cannon, 30, has lived and worked in London for Channel 7 for two years since moving from his native Australia. The cameraman, who lives in Islington, said he had friends in the business who had been targeted in west London for their equipment but did not expect to be targeted in the trendy Exmouth Market. But Mr Cannon told MailOnline he feared such an incident would be a case of 'when and not if' because of the wave of crime that has recently hit London. Speaking about the robbery, which he described as annoying rather than terrifying, he said: 'These guys were scoping the place out. I wondered if I was being paranoid but then I saw one of them bend down and get something out of his pants and put it in his jacket. 'I was thinking and I knew Laurel was attached to the equipment so there was no easy way for us to get away, so I was looking around for what I could use as a weapon if they got violent. Jimmy Cannon, pictured, 30, said he felt being robbed in London was a case of 'when and not if' after his £15,000 equipment was stolen 'While Laurel was talking to camera, this guy comes up to me and says "Oi, oi, I have a gun in my jacket, unclip the camera, hand it to me now". 'He said it over and over. He wasn't yelling, but he was forceful and aggressive. So I unclipped it and Laurel thought it was some drunk idiot so she stepped in. 'Whether he had a gun or not, I don't know, but I figured he probably had a knife so it was not worth it.' Mr Cannon said 'there was never a choice' between giving up the camera or fighting back. He added: 'There is chaos around here at the moment with all the moped attacks; there's crimes every day. I always thought it would be a case of "when and not if". 'I've called 999 three times since I moved here; I've seen a gang armed with baseball bats and a couple of Deliveroo drivers robbed; I was not shocked it happened.' Mr Cannon said the incident had not put him off London and he was keen to stay in the city for the foreseeable future. Advertisement

The Metropolitan Police are investigating the incident and Channel 7 confirmed it has handed footage over to officers.

A spokesman for the channel said: 'Laurel and Jimmy are both okay, and naturally shaken up by the ordeal, and they did everything they could to help the police catch the b******s who did this.

'The safety of our people in the field is something we always take very seriously, and always take precautions with.'

Ms Irving managed to take a photo of the thieves as they were cycling away.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'Police in Islington are investigating a robbery in Exmouth Market, EC1 on Monday, June 4.

'It is believed at approximately 10.30pm two males approached a man and a woman who were filming in the area.

'The suspects demanded they surrendered their camera whilst making threats that they were armed with a firearm.

'They took the camera and made off on pedal cycles. No arrests have been made. Inquiries continue. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 8421/4 June.'

It comes months after a moped gang dressed in all black brazenly blocked rush hour traffic in an attempt to steal a BBC camera that had been set up to broadcast the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race.

Dozens of stunned onlookers can be seen watching the six-man moped gang who don't appear to be fazed by the number of witnesses to their attempted crime on Putney Bridge.

Wearing full-face crash helmets, the thugs attempted to cut down an unguarded, fixed-position broadcast camera with an angle-grinder.

How moped crimes are rising in London with 60 robberies a day Sitey Mairuf (pictured) was jailed along with three others for a series of robberies In the past 12 months, moped gangs carried out 60 robberies a day across London and are known to have been holding training sessions on how to snatch phone before they hit the streets. Figures obtained by MailOnline from the Metropolitan Police revealed there were 22,025 powered two-wheel vehicle crimes in London between June 2017 and May 2018, which works out as just over 60 per day. In the previous 12 months, there were 14,699 crimes a year, or 40 per day. In May 2018, there were 1,154 scooter crimes alone - down from 1,206 in April. There were 4,842 scooter crimes in February 2018 to May 2018, a reduction from 7,874 crimes between October 2017 to January 2018. Up to 50,000 offences a year are being committed by thieves on scooters and mopeds in the capital, while some teenage thieves are being arrested up to 80 times but not sent to jail. Most of the muggings are committed by gangs on stolen vehicles and officers have seen a spike in moped thefts which has rocketed by 41 per cent in the last 12 months to February 2018. In December, a gang of knife-wielding moped robbers led by a talented teenage singer was locked up for more than 13 years. Sitey Mairuf and three other teenagers muggers wore skull masks while targeting South London commuters on their way to work between December 2016 and March this year. They stole six scooters as well as laptops and phones from their victims - which included a police officer - in Victoria, Mitcham, Herne Hill, Kennington and Camberwell. Now police are warning it is dangerous to get your phone out in public and they are advising pedestrians to use hands free headsets instead to deter criminals. Scotland Yard superintendent Mark Payne claimed that moped muggers are snatching 20 phones an hour. The robbers, who usually operate with a pillion passenger, are capable of recognising a mobile phone in a target's pocket from 100 feet away. Advertisement

However, they left empty-handed after being confronted by an off-duty policeman.

Meanwhile shocking figures released yesterday show the armed thieves are striking more than 60 times every day in the UK.

Campaigners and politicians warned the attacks were matched by disturbing rises in stabbings, drug crime and gang violence.

It came after shoppers wrestled a knife-wielding moped robber to the ground during a ram raid at a luxury jeweller yesterday.

The masked thug was pinned to the ground until police arrived at Watches of Switzerland in the West End of London.

CCTV footage shows the gang wielding knives and hammers as they attempt to fend off members of the public.

Three thugs could be seen running out of the watch shop and jumping on to mopeds as another fled on foot and the fifth was caught.

Police officers set up a cordon outside Watches of Switzerland (pictured) in London where raiders made off with several jewels before they were chased away

Officers said a number of weapons were recovered from the scene alongside a moped. Pictured are police at the scene

Where are the Met Police's moped-fighting Scrambler bikes? Scotland Yard unveiled a new weapon in the battle against moped thugs rampaging across London in October, in the form of scrambler bikes. The four specialist BMW scrambler bikes were to be used to chase moped riders who use alleyways to evade chasing police cars. However moped crime seems as rampant as ever, with the latest figures suggesting that up to 54 moped robberies occur in London each day. Scotland Yard unveiled a new weapon in the battle against moped thugs rampaging across London in October, in the form of scrambler bikes The force said it was also bringing in wider use of remote-controlled stinger devices and so-called 'DNA sprays' in a bid to stop the up to 8,000 'moped-enabled' crimes tacking place in the capital each year. More than 8,000 offences were carried out by criminals on mopeds in London last year. The figure is 16 times what is was five years before ago. Thugs favour the bikes because they are easy to get away on and, if they remove their helmets, police can be reluctant to chase them in case the criminals are hurt. The force said it was also bringing in wider use of remote-controlled stinger devices and so-called 'DNA sprays' in a bid to stop the up to 8,000 'moped-enabled' crimes tacking place in the capital each year Advertisement

London now has a higher murder rate than New York, with more than 70 killings so far this year.

As an MP said parts of the country were becoming 'like the Wild West':

Scotland Yard has logged 22,025 motorcycle muggings in 12 months – a rise of 50 per cent;

Officers revealed that city gangs had set up 650 'county line' networks to sell drugs in towns and villages;

Police were hunting moped robbers who targeted comedian Michael McIntyre;

A rank-and-file police leader said officers were wary of chasing them for fear of possible disciplinary action;

A think-tank said shop theft cost £6.3billion last year – or £270 for every household.

Violent crime soared by 21 per cent last year, with 1.3million offences recorded by police.

The figure was the highest since records began in their current form 15 years ago.

Michael McIntyre (pictured with his ten-year-old son) was mugged by two masked moped robbers on Monday as he prepared to drive away from school with his boy in North West London

Pictures taken shortly after the attack show the driver's side window smashed and damage to Mr McIntyre's door

Woman, 24, fighting for her life after being punched by moped muggers A woman was left fighting for her life after she was punched by moped muggers during a struggle over her phone and bag. The woman, aged 24, was walking along a tree lined residential street when she was approached by two thugs on a moped in north London just after 9pm last night. They tried to grab her bag and phone and in the struggle the pillion passenger punched the lone woman knocking her off her feet. As they sped away they left the woman lying in the street in Edgware with a serious head injury. Detective Sergeant Richard Lewsley said: 'This was a horrific attack, the victim had her bag on her shoulder when the males approached her. 'She resisted for some time until the pillion passenger punched her, causing her to fall backwards. 'She is currently in a critical condition and we need to catch these males before they strike again.' Advertisement

Knife crime rose by 22 per cent, robberies by a third and sex attacks were up by a quarter as police recorded 5.4million offences, 13 per cent up on the previous year.

'It is alarming that violent crime in England is rising so fast,' said Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman.

'People are telling me they no longer feel safe in their own communities.

'For some areas it's fast becoming like the Wild West with criminals no longer afraid of getting caught.

'The blame rests squarely at the feet of this Government. Theresa May was responsible for slashing police budgets and even now she appears to be resisting calls for extra spending on police.'