Two Algerian migrants have been jailed after tearing a £65,000 watch from a driver as he took a picture of his Bentley in Mayfair.
Belal Amine, 26, and Gabriel Kamali, 23, who were smuggled across the English Channel in 2019, snatched Besart Krasniqi’s Patek Philippe in a ‘planned robbery’ on May 11 last year.
Mr Krasniqi had left a cafe in the luxury central London district with his pregnant wife when one man ripped the designer watch from his wrist before fleeing the scene with two other men.
The victim gave chase but was aggressively shoved onto a black Mercedes by Kamali, who was described as the group’s ‘spotter’ after he identified the watch as ‘genuine high-value’.
The three perpetrators then managed to get away via nearby side streets. The watch was never recovered.
In his victim statement, Mr Krasniqi said that he had inadvertently taken a photo of the robbers moments before they targeted him.
‘At about 4pm I was with my wife at the Hideaway Cafe 100 Mount,’ he said. ‘I walked around the front of my car and took a picture of it in the sun.
‘Unbeknown by me I had taken a picture of one of the males who stole my watch. I would later show the picture to the police.
Belal Amine (left), 26, and Gabriel Kamali (right), 23, who were smuggled across the English Channel in 2019, were jailed this week for robbing a Patek Philippe watch worth £65,000 in Mayfair
CCTV footage shows the watch thieves being chased through Mount Street, Mayfair
The video shows Mr Krasniqi being pushed over by his asailants
‘I was pushed on the left shoulder by a male. A second male ripped the watch off my left wrist. The watch was now in the hand of the second male.
‘Both men ran off along Carpenter Street. A third male picked up the leather watch strap.
‘The third male ran after me. I ran up Carpenter Street chasing the males. After a few metres the third male pushed me and then knocked me to the floor.
‘I lost sight of the males. I called 999 and reported the matter. A male came over to me and said that he had filmed them, and had pictures of them.’
It was heard that Algerian Amine and Kamali were both in the United Kingdom illegally. Kamali came to the country on a small boat aged 16 or 17.
His representative Anne Asfaw told the court: ‘He says that as soon as he pushed this poor man (Mr Krasniqi) he felt terrible,’ Ms Asfaw said.
‘He would like to apologise to the victim and ask for his forgiveness.’
While 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 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.
Mayfair, one of London’s plushest and most expensive regions, has become a crime hotspot with gangs of robbers often frequenting the area in search of goods to steal.
The criminals targeted Besart Krasniqi on Mount Street, where he stood with his pregnant wife on May 11 last year
Mr Krasniqi and his wife had just left the plush Hideaway House (pictured) when they were robbed by the two Algerians and another accomplice
Our map shows how gangs of bike thieves like to target the richest areas of central London around Park Lane, Mayfair and Oxford Street
Algerian groups in particular have targeted the district, with an investigation revealing that 28 per cent of phones stolen in Britain end up in the north African country, making it the global destination ahead of China.
Criminals have begun waiting for visibly wealthy people at posh bars in Mayfair, before violently mugging them when they come out onto the street.
Earlier this month, BBC presenter Ben Thompson was left fearing for his safety after being robbed while leaving a restaurant in Mayfair with his friend.
He and Roja Dove were grabbed by six men on March 11 before Roja was thrown to the floor and robbed of his £150,000 Patek Philippe watch.
‘After this attack my behaviour has changed – I no longer feel safe in London,’ Mr Thompson said in a victim impact statement read out as two of the gang were jailed this week.
‘I am nervous and jumpy when I hear a jogger or cyclist approaching behind me,’ added the former Middle East correspondent.
It is thought that the Algerian gangs have pivoted from phone snatchings to violent robberies after a Metropolitan Police crackdown on mobile thefts.
Indeed, the number of phone thefts in London last year fell from 81,365 in 2024 to 71,391.
David McKelvey, a former Detective Chief Inspector with the Met Police, said: ‘The criminals are able to adapt very quickly and once the police began to have some success in bringing down the number of phone thefts, it was inevitable that they would start looking at other areas.
‘A simple “risk vs reward” assessment means for them it will make sense to try to steal one very valuable watch instead of any number of valuable phones.
‘Ultimately the police need to catch these people more quickly and respond to new developments more quickly to do that.’
