Three men who violently robbed a man of his £140,000 watch in central London have been sentenced to a combined 12 years and nine months’ imprisonment following a fast-paced Metropolitan Police investigation.

Detectives launched an investigation after reports that a man was robbed at knife point in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, just before midnight on Wednesday, 28 January.

Officers gathered witness statements and CCTV footage that showed the men arriving in a vehicle before committing the robbery. Footage then showed the group fleeing the scene and boarding a train to Slough.

Enquiries into the vehicle led detectives to identify one of the suspects, while phone data further linked two other men to the offence.

The following men were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, 16 October:
Younes Djoudi, 34 (21.07.1992), of Skyline, Slough was sentenced to five years and nine months’ imprisonment

Ali Eldahouzze, 22 (30.10.2003), of Skyline, Slough was sentenced to three years and six months’ imprisonment

Abdel El Habchi, 30 (28.12.1995), of Dunster Gardens, Slough was sentenced to five years and six months’ imprisonment

Detective Sergeant Andy Swindells, who led the investigation, said:

“Detectives worked quickly to identify those responsible for this brazen attack.

“Using CCTV, phone data, and witness statements, we gathered credible evidence needed to bring them before the courts and secure their convictions.

“Today's sentence sends a clear message that those who commit violent robberies will be found and brought to justice”.

The investigation

Through intelligence, officers located Djoudi and his vehicle on Slough High Street on the evening of Thursday, 29 January – the day after the offence took place.

Body-worn footage showed Djoudi attempting to flee as officers approached him, resulting in a brief foot chase before he was arrested on suspicion of robbery.

Officers seized his mobile phone and carried out further enquiries which revealed communications linking Eldahouzze and El Habchi to the offence, as well as location data placing Djoudi at the scene at the time of the robbery.

Detectives then launched a manhunt to locate Eldahouzze and El Habchi and through cell-site analysis identified an address linked to the pair.

A warrant was executed at the address and both men were arrested on Thursday, 5 March.

All three men later pleaded guilty to robbery at Westminster Magistrates' Court and were remanded into custody.

The Met is cracking down on violent crime and relentlessly targeting offenders. This approach is working and robbery in London has fallen by 12.8 per cent.

NOTES TO EDITOR:
The watch was a Richard Mille brand.