A tourist had his watch snatched by an Algerian migrant within hours of touching down in London, a court heard.
Swedish author Benny Holmberg had only been in the UK for five hours when he was targeted by Ismail Ladjali, on April 3, 2025.
Four months later, the Algerian asylum seeker was arrested on August 5 after being found under a lorry headed to France with several watches in his possession, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Ladjali, 29, appeared in the dock today wearing a grey, prison-issue jumper, aided by an Arabic interpreter.
He admitted the robbery just five days before his trial was due to take place, having earlier admitted to the separate offence of cocaine possession.
Defence counsel Colin Campbell previously told the court that the robbery was a ‘spur of the moment thing’, adding: ‘I think it is a stretch to say there was any planning.’
But prosecutor Carol Summers said: ‘There must have been some sort of identification with this victim.
‘At 3.10pm in the afternoon Mr Holmberg was sitting outside West One shopping centre off Oxford Street having a drink with his wife and two friends.
‘He felt someone holding his left wrist. He thought it was his wife, but instead it was the defendant.
‘He said the action felt quite hard and he noticed his watch was removed.’
Ismail Ladjali snatched the Swedish author’s watch on April 3 last year and was arrested four months later after being found under a lorry headed to France
Swedish author Benny Holmberg had only been in the UK for five hours when Ismail Ladjali, 29, grabbed his wrist and stole his £6,000 Hublot watch
Ladjali was jailed for 20 months at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, after admitting robbery
She added the aggravating features in the case include this being a robbery in ‘broad daylight in central London’, as well as the ‘high value’ of the Hublot watch being stolen, which was worth £6,050.
Southwark Crown Court heard Ladjali was identified as the robber after he dropped his hat at the scene of the crime, which contained traces of his DNA.
The court was told Ladjali had claimed he needed the money to pay for his mother’s cancer medication.
Passing sentence, Judge Gregory Perrins said: ‘I watched the CCTV footage of the robbery, you obviously knew it was an expensive watch which is why you robbed him.
‘You grabbed his wrist and very forcefully removed his watch.
‘You planned it, knew what you were looking for, and knew how to steal it quickly.’
The judge said: ‘I have seen no evidence that you were buying medication for your mother’, adding that he believed Ladjali had probably spent the money on himself to buy cocaine.
Judge Perrins said the asylum seeker arrived in the UK in 2021 before overstaying his visa, ‘and you have been here since then with no legitimate source of income.’
He added despite Ladjali claiming to express remorse, neither he nor the probation service accepted this was genuine.
Ladjali was jailed for 20 months and said he can expect to be deported after serving 40 per cent of his sentence.
