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Two men convicted of £137k watch theft

News imagePA Media Fashion designer Catalin Botezatu - a middle aged man in a dark blue suit -leaving Southwark Crown CourtPA Media
Fashion designer Catalin Botezatu had the watch cut from his wrist in Mayfair

Two men have been found guilty of robbing a fashion designer of his £137,000 Richard Mille watch, which was cut from his wrist as he left a Mayfair restaurant.

Ali Eldahouzze, 22, and Abdel El Habchi, 30, were part of a plot to target Romanian entrepreneur Catalin Botezatu in Berkeley Square just before midnight on 28 January.

Botezatu described how he was pushed and confronted by the thieves, and told Southwark Crown Court: "I feared for my life."

Eldahouzze and El Habchi told jurors that they had no idea that the robbery was about to take place, and were in fear of reprisals from lead robber Younes Djoudi. A jury convicted them both of robbery at the end of a nine-day trial.

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