Two men who robbed a man of his Patek Philippe watch while he was out with his pregnant wife in an exclusive area of London have been jailed.
Besart Krasniqr and his heavily pregnant partner had left a cafe in Mount Street, Mayfair, one Sunday afternoon, and were walking towards his car when he was attacked.
Mr Krasniqr’s Nautilus 5711 watch, worth about £65,000 ($87,000), was ripped from his arm by one man, and three men then fled the scene, including Algerian Belal Amine and French-born Gabriel Kamali, prosecutors said.
Kamali, 23, was the “spotter”, the court heard, and had been able to identify the watch as “genuine high-value”.
Mr Krasniqr gave chase but Kamali shoved him on to a parked car with such force that the vehicle was damaged and Krasniqr could not continue the pursuit.
The three men, including Amine, then fled into nearby side streets following the incident on May 11 last year.
The watch has never been recovered, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Charles Digby, prosecuting, said: “The area of Mount Street in Mayfair, by The Connaught Hotel, is frequented by high-net-worth tourists and this type of activity is bad for the tourist industry.”
London's reputation has been damaged by the proliferation of street robberies, known a “Rolex Rippers”, leading to police and the mayor campaigning to reassure the public the city is safe.
Actor Tom Cruise packed up and left his £35 million London apartment after a nearby Rolex shop was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery.
Algerian Amine, 26, and Kamali were both in the UK illegally, Judge Gregory Perrins said.
Anne Asfaw, representing Kamali, said that the 23-year-old had come to the UK by boat across the Channel, aged 16 or 17.
“He says that as soon as he pushed this poor man (Mr Krasniqr) he felt terrible,” Ms Asfaw said.
“He would like to apologise to the victim and ask for his forgiveness.”
Tim Williams, for Amine, said the 26-year-old was an asylum seeker and therefore not allowed to work.
“He was interested in working, that’s what he’d like to do, get a job and stay in the UK,” Mr Williams said.
“Clearly, that’s not going to be possible after Your Honour passes sentence.”
Kamali pleaded guilty to one count of robbery, while Amine was convicted on the same charge following a trial.
Sentencing the pair at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, Judge Perrins said the robbery was “a serious, planned, group attack”.
“This was not therefore an opportunistic robbery – the overwhelming evidence was that you were out that day looking for wealthy victims to rob,” the judge said.
Amine was jailed for four years, while Kamali was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
Because of the length of their sentences, both were subject to automatic deportation provisions, the court heard.
“My expectation is that you will be deported on release,” Judge Perrins said.
