A PENSIONER had his pocket picked while returning home from the shops on an E3 Bus, writes Sara Black.

Harry Bonnie, 81, from Hanwell, was targeted by four men, possibly eastern Europeans, who stole his pension money, around £140.

He had boarded the bus after a trip to Sainsburys in Greenford at about 2.pm on September 15.

The theft happened almost immediately, but the bus driver refused to stop.

Harry, who used to be a heavyweight boxer, said: "The bus was packed when I got on.

"A fellow touched my pocket and put his hand in.

"I noticed straight away that the money was missing but when I asked the man about it, he'd already passed the money on to his friends."

Harry called out to the driver to stop the bus and phone the police but the driver did not stop until the top of Greenford Avenue, 10 minutes later.

There, Harry got off the bus and was followed by the pickpocket.

He said: "I think he wanted to make sure I didn't call the police, but I couldn't as I didn't have a phone.

"I accidentally hit him in the mouth as I was getting off, then I gave him a mouthful and walked off."

Harry called the police later that afternoon.

Harry, who is now an entertainer at a pensioners' home in West Ealing, said: "It was one of those things.

"It's happening all the time.

"It put me wise and it's made me more alert.

"When the driver didn't stop I just thought, that's it, there's not much I can do."

Harry has an appointment with Acton police station to look at photofits of suspects.