Revealed: Gym bandit who stole bank cards from lockers and blew £250,000 on trips to Dubai, Paris and the Amalfi Coast was jailed for the same crime FIVE YEARS AGO… and would still be in prison if not for his early release for ‘good behaviour’

A fraudster who stole gym-goers’ bank cards to fund his jet set lifestyle, blowing cash on trips to Dubai and the Amalfi Coast was jailed for the exact same offence and released from prison early, MailOnline can reveal.

Ashley Singh, 35, and his partner Sophie Bruyea, 20, were put behind bars last week after they worked their way through lockers at a number of gyms across the south-east in a year-long crime spree snatching credit and sim cards from 18 victims.

Stealing a total value of £250,000 the couple maxed out their victims credit cards, using the cash to fund luxurious trips abroad and spend thousands in designer stores – they even bought a pedigree puppy. 

But we can reveal that Singh was jailed for six and a half years for the same offence in 2019. Under the terms of his imprisonment, he would have been released on parole after serving half of his sentence for good behaviour. 

If he had been made to serve his full sentence, he would still be inside and only be eligible for release in 2025.

Five years ago Singh was jailed alongside his partner-in-crime Tony Clark for plundering £230,000 from the bank accounts of more unsuspecting gym-goers as they exercised.

Singh and Clark would take photos of the victims’ credit cards before replacing the SIM card in their phones with a dummy and then taking control of their bank accounts and using the cash to buy luxury items such as Rolex watches.

In April 2019 Singh was handed a six and a half year sentence at Inner London Crown Court for the crime spree he committed across London gyms and for escaping arrest after previously assaulting a gym officer.

If he had served his full term in prison, Singh would have been released at some point in late 2025 but the career criminal was released early, allowing him to launch another wave of thefts.

Singh had 19 previous convictions, including nine for theft and two for fraud, at the time of his conviction five years ago. 

Between 2016 and 2017 Singh, alongside his accomplice Clark who was given a three and a half years sentence in 2018, targeted gyms across London. 

After breaking into lockers and taking phone sims, as well as their card information, the pair used the information to take control of victim’s bank accounts, meaning any calls to banks appeared to come from the victim’s phones.

It allowed the duo to access accounts and online bank accounts. They then went on to change PIN numbers, increase credit card limits and transfer money between accounts. 

One victim of their ‘sophisticated criminal enterprise’ realised their card was missing and immediately asked their bank for a new one only to be told their address had been changed and it had been delivered elsewhere.

Clarke was caught first for the crimes but Singh continued to operate alone going on to thieve a further £43,000.

He was finally arrested in Stratford in September 2018 where police found a number of computers and tablets, as well as two Rolex watches and a PG watch worth £45,000.

Singh banged his head against the glass when he was sentenced by Judge Owen Davies QC in 2019.

‘You may have well been using drugs and taking them, you may well have even been addicted to them, but I cannot accept that the offending you engaged in was confined to repaying a drug debt or to use cocaine,’ the judge said.

‘You knew what you were doing, you knew the sophisticated nature of the offending involved. The conclusion I have to come to its that the position you are now in is of your own choosing and the court is not going to be influenced by the fact that you now say you have turned over a new leaf.’

MailOnline has contacted the MoJ about Singh’s early release.

Despite serving time behind bars for the theft, Singh was not deter from carrying out more of the same thefts upon his release.

Between January 2022 and January 2023 Singh and his partner Bruyea scurried away £250,000 after targeting gym lockers.

There were 14 reports made in the London area, one from Sussex, one from Hertfordshire and two reports from Cambridgeshire.

Instead of hiding away, the couple would flaunt their luxury life on social media, sharing photos of themselves posing next to swimming pools, driving a luxury motor and standing in front of an aquarium at Burj Al Arab – the iconic Dubai hotel.

On one occasion, the pair took a trip to Dubai’s Aura Skypool. Access to the rooftop pool costs anywhere between £60 and £100 with a minimum spend of £214 per person on food and drink.

In another picture posted on Facebook, the couple are seen kissing at an airport. Bruyea is seen holding onto a Louis Vuitton roll-on suit case, which can cost up to £2,570, with a Christian Dior tote bag, worth £2,500, draped over her hand.

Singh, wearing a black cap, appears to have a Keepall Louis Vuitton bag across his body, worth £2,020, paired with a black t-shirt, also from the designer and thought to be worth around £700.

On Bruyea’s TikTok account she showed off her life being a ‘dog mum’ in her twenties, sharing videos of her two pedigree dogs, captioning the clip ‘best gifts I’ve ever got was you two’.

The dogs are seen sitting in designer bags, lying on Ralph Lauren pillows or snuggled up in Gucci scarfs. The puppies appear to be Pomeranians – classed as a Toy dog breed because of its size. They can cost anywhere between £750 to £2,000.

The glamorous couple, thought to be married, were finally caught on January 27 last year and were arrested at Gatwick Airport after returning from Paris with around £1,700 of designer goods.

Their 18 victims suffered huge stress and financial loss as a result of their ‘wicked’ crimes, Croydon Crown Court heard.

As with Singh’s previous spree the couple would visit the gyms and rifle through lockers taking credit and sim cards to access the funds.

Singh and Bruyea, of Widmore Road, Bromley, south London, were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between January 2022 and January 2023.

Singh was jailed for three years while Bruyea was sentenced to 20 months at a young offenders’ institute, suspended for two years.

She was also sentenced to a rehabilitation programme and 120 hours unpaid work.

Det Con Luis Da Silva, from the Met’s economic crime team that investigated this case, said: ‘We know Londoners are worried about theft. It’s a horrible crime, and it causes a lot of stress, pain, and financial loss.

‘That’s why we take this crime seriously and a whole team of us were committed to catching Singh and Bruyea.

‘You couldn’t fail to be moved by the devastating impact their callous behaviour had on people, and we hope that by catching them this offers victims a little bit of solace.

‘I would urge anyone who has had something stolen to get in touch, because we do want to drive down this crime and go after those who target the public.

‘We will now look to forfeit the proceeds of their crimes to try and help compensate those who went through this.’

The pair were first noticed by a lone police officer who had noticed a pattern and flagged it to experts i n economic crime.

Police officers based in Lewisham went on to trace the pair’s phones, cars and faces on CCTV linking all the crimes together.