Three men have been jailed after violently robbing Romanian fashion designer Catalin Botezatu of a £140,000 luxury watch outside a restaurant in Mayfair.
Younes Djoudi, 34, Ali Eldahouzze, 22, and Abdel El Habchi, 30, were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, 16 October, following the robbery outside Amazonico restaurant in Berkeley Square.
The attack happened shortly before midnight on Wednesday, 28 January, when Mr Botezatu was targeted by the three men.
The court heard that he was surrounded, forced against railings and restrained while a sharp implement was used to cut the strap of his Richard Mille watch from his wrist, causing an injury.
Mr Botezatu, who had previously undergone cancer surgery and had five stents fitted, told the court he feared for his life during the attack.
He said: “I couldn’t believe that something like this could happen in London, in front of a luxury restaurant where I was a client.”
Judge describes robbery as planned and premeditated
Sentencing the defendants, Judge Dafna Spiro described the robbery as “planned and premeditated”.
She said: “The victim was approached and overpowered by all three defendants. He was forced into railings, restrained and deprived of his watch by the use of violence.”
The judge found that Djoudi played a leading role in the robbery, bringing the other men to the area, initially targeting Mr Botezatu and removing the watch.
She described such offences as a “shame and blight on our city” and said it was unsurprising that the victim had been deterred from returning to London.
Djoudi had admitted the robbery, while Eldahouzze and El Habchi denied the charge but were convicted by a jury.
Prison sentences
The three men received the following sentences:
- Younes Djoudi, 34, of Skyline, Slough, was jailed for five years and nine months.
- Ali Eldahouzze, 22, of Skyline, Slough, was jailed for five years and six months.
- Abdel El Habchi, 30, of Dunster Gardens, Slough, was jailed for three years and six months.
During the hearing, the prosecutor said Djoudi was subject to an active deportation order and had no right to remain in the UK.
The court was told that foreign nationals can be liable to deportation when sentenced to more than 12 months in custody.
CCTV and phone evidence linked defendants to robbery
Detectives investigating the robbery gathered CCTV footage showing the men arriving in a vehicle before the attack, fleeing afterwards and boarding a train to Slough.
Enquiries into the vehicle led officers to Djoudi, who was arrested on Slough High Street the following evening after a brief foot chase.
Evidence recovered from his mobile phone linked Eldahouzze and El Habchi to the offence.
Detectives subsequently traced the pair to an address, where both were arrested on 5 March.
Detective Sergeant Andy Swindells said: “Using CCTV, phone data, and witness statements, we gathered credible evidence needed to bring them before the courts and secure their convictions.”
The stolen watch has never been recovered.
The court heard it held particular sentimental value for Mr Botezatu because it had been given to him by a friend who has since died.
