Dramatic footage has emerged of a coffee chain executive chasing down muggers after they ripped a £65,000 luxury watch from his wrist in central London.
Surveillance video captures the moment Axel Schwan, regional president for Tim Hortons, sprinted after the thieves following the shocking robbery on New Bond Street in Mayfair.
The attack happened on June 30 last year as Mr Schwan was walking with his wife. One of the criminals crept up from behind and tore the Patek Philippe timepiece off his wrist before fleeing.
The footage shows Mr Schwan immediately giving chase down the exclusive shopping street after realising what had happened.
The attack happened on June 30 last year as Mr Schwan was walking with his wife
|Met Police
The brazen daylight robbery was carried out by a three-person gang who had been watching for victims wearing luxury watches.
One member of the group, Ahmed Djidi, a 26-year-old Algerian national living in the UK illegally, acted as a lookout.
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While he didn’t physically snatch the watch, Djidi monitored potential targets for his two accomplices.
The gang had positioned themselves on busy New Bond Street, scanning for pedestrians with expensive timepieces.
When they spotted Schwan’s £65,000 Patek Philippe, one accomplice moved in and ripped it from his wrist as Djidi kept watch.
Mr Schwan immediately sprinted after them, as stunned shoppers looked on.
According to evidence presented at Southwark Crown Court, the watch was torn from Schwan’s arm with considerable force.
The theft was part of a coordinated operation by the gang, who deliberately chose the upmarket Mayfair location to target wealthy shoppers.
Djidi later faced justice at Southwark Crown Court on October 8, appearing with the help of an Arabic interpreter.
He was jailed for 22 months for his role in the high-end watch theft.
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Judge Christopher Hehir told Djidi during sentencing: “You had two accomplices. The three of you waited on a busy street looking to identify any passer-by with a valuable wristwatch that you could steal.”
“This was a premeditated theft. You played your part as a lookout with two others.” the judge added.
The court heard Djidi already had a criminal record, including a 2022 community order for a distraction theft at a London railway terminal.
Ahmed Djidi pleaded guilty to one count of theft after being part of the trio who robbed Tim Hortons boss Axel Schwan
|GB NEWS
Judge Hehir also noted Djidi’s illegal presence in the UK, saying he could not see how “remaining in the UK would be conducive to the public good” though he stressed deportation was not within his power to decide.
Detective Sergeant Daniel Northcott, who led the investigation for the Met’s Central West Command Unit, welcomed the sentence.
He said: “This investigation has removed a notorious offender from London’s streets.”
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