BBC Breakfast presenter Ben Thompson has revealed he no longer feels safe in London after he was violently robbed of his £7,000 Rolex watch after being ambushed by a gang last March.
The 45-year-old television journalist and a companion were set upon by six men as they departed a Mayfair restaurant on March 11, 2025.
Mr Thompson's timepiece held particular sentimental value, having been given to him by his partner Andy Roche as a 40th birthday present.
The watch bore a custom engraving marking the occasion.
Ben Thompson was violently robbed in London last year
|BBC
During the assault outside Cecconi's restaurant in Burlington Gardens, the attackers seized Mr Thompson and forcibly tore the watch from his arm.
The violent theft has left the broadcaster with a permanent scar on his wrist where the Rolex was ripped away.
The attack has taken a significant psychological toll on the former Middle East correspondent, who detailed his ongoing struggles in a victim impact statement read to the court this week.
Mr Thompson revealed he has experienced flashbacks and persistent anxiety since the robbery nearly a year ago.
Ben Thompson said he no longer feels safe in the capital
|BBC
"I am nervous and jumpy when I hear a jogger or cyclist approaching behind me," he told the Old Bailey.
The presenter admitted the incident has fundamentally changed how he feels about the capital, stating he no longer considers himself safe on London's streets.
Mr Thompson was not the only victim that evening. His friend Roja Dove, 69, was also targeted by the gang and thrown to the ground during the confrontation.
The attackers made off with Dove's diamond-encrusted Patek Philippe watch, valued at approximately £150,000.
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Ben Thompson detailed the impact the robbery has had on him
|BBC
"I have worked hard for everything I have. The watch was a present to myself when I reached the age of 65. The theft of the watch has meant all my hard work has been pointless," Mr Dove said in his statement.
Like Mr Thompson, Mr Dove described feeling perpetually on edge when walking through the capital.
"I feel very unsafe in London, a city I have loved my entire life," he confirmed.
Court proceedings at the Old Bailey this week revealed the gang had employed a "spotter" to observe the two men leaving the restaurant before the attack was carried out.
CCTV footage subsequently identified two of the six assailants as Hocine Boulanouar, 26, and Danis Tom-Deter, 36.
Boulanouar maintained his innocence throughout, claiming he was nowhere near the scene despite video evidence to the contrary.
He was already serving a suspended six-month sentence when he participated in the robbery.
Mr Recorder Jeremy Benson handed Boulanouar a prison term of four years and three months. Tom-Deter, who admitted his involvement, received two years and nine months.
Passing sentence, the judge remarked: "This was clearly a very frightening experience on the streets of central London at night. They were set upon and each man was held while their watches were dragged off their wrists."