Luxury watch robbers who targeted London's Chelsea caught after flaunting Rolexes

Gang threatened victims with large knives before stealing their valuable items

Roshan Clark wearing watches stolen in west London robberies. Photo: Met Police

Six men who robbed victims' expensive watches in one of London’s most affluent areas were caught after posing for pictures with their stolen loot.

The group threatened people in Chelsea with large knives or machetes before stealing their possessions, Isleworth Crown Court in London heard, including expensive watches and bags, leaving the victims fearing for their lives.

They robbed watches worth up to £35,000 ($42,715) each and assaulted some of their victims, causing multiple fractures to one's face and knocking out another person's tooth.

Police later found images of some of the criminals on their phones wearing a selection of their stolen goods. All six have now been convicted, months after police warned of a rise in thefts at knifepoint of luxury watches.

During a spate of attacks last summer, also in the west London neighbourhood, people were robbed of possessions including Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Rolex watches.

At the trial, which concluded on Monday, Michael Malik Ahmed, 29, of Balham, pleaded guilty to six counts of robbery between December 2021 and January 2022. He was also found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon used in the attacks, as well as dangerous driving.

At the same trial, Kaijuan Henry, 19, of Dagenham, was found guilty of being involved in the December robberies, while Jessy Ouma, 18, of Wandsworth, was found guilty of being involved in the robberies on January 9.

Zakariah Yusuf, Joseph Opoku, both 19, and Roshan Clark, 18, all of Clapham, had previously pleaded guilty to being involved.

The attacks included a robbery in Old Church Street on December 21, at 11.15am, when a couple walking down the road were ambushed by Ahmed, Clark and Henry, who jumped out of a car armed with a crowbar and large serrated knife. They surrounded the man, grabbing his wrist and forcing him to hand over his Tag Heuer watch, which was worth about £1,500.

Only 45 minutes later on Cornford Grove, a man was walking down the road when he was chased by Clark and Henry, one of whom was armed with a long zombie-style knife. The victim was confronted at a doorway and punched in the face, causing part of his tooth to fall out, before they took his bag.

That night in Walton Street, shortly after 6pm, two men were sitting at a pub table outdoors when a vehicle screeched to a halt in front of them. Clark and Henry, armed with a knife and machete, respectively, got out of the car and shouted at them to hand over their watches, each worth about £35,000.

On January 9, a couple were walking towards their car on Draycott Avenue when they saw a car, driven by Ahmed, speed past before stopping suddenly. Ouma, Yusuf and Opoku jumped out, armed with a large machete. The female victim had her £6,000 Rolex watch and Bulgari ring stolen. The male victim was hit in the face, causing several fractures. His Tag Heuer watch, valued at about £1,150, was stolen.

The couple provided police with the car registration number and officers spotted the BMW at the junction of Balham High Road and Chestnut Grove a short while later.

Specialist officers pursued the car, which crashed into a wooden fence near the junction of Dornton Road and Culverdon Road. The occupants fled from the scene and escaped police.

But in their haste, Ahmed left his house keys, phone and a bank card in the car, while Yusuf left his jacket and phone, which allowed officers to identify them and find the others responsible.

A large machete used in the robberies was also found in the car, as was a tracksuit top with distinctive markings, which matched the clothing worn by Ahmed when he was caught on CCTV at a petrol station.

When Ouma was arrested, officers seized and examined his phone. This revealed photos of Henry and Clark celebrating their robberies by wearing a number of the stolen watches.

Forensic evidence and cell site data also linked the men to the violent crimes.

They were caught after a joint operation between the Flying Squad, a branch of the Serious and Organised Crime Command within the Metropolitan Police, and a west London robbery team.

None of the property stolen has been recovered.

DS Gary Taylor, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said: “These men carried out multiple violent robberies which left many of those targeted fearing for their lives. Their attacks were brazen, took place on busy streets and I have no doubt they would have gone on to commit further crimes if they had not been quickly caught.

“We know the impact these crimes have on each and every victim and our team worked tirelessly to ensure we identified those responsible and brought them to justice.

“Those who live in and visit our city should not have to go about their daily lives in fear of thieves. Sadly we know there has been a rise in these types of offences and we would urge people to remain aware of their surroundings and where possible to keep valuables out of sight.”

DS Taylor said the six men were facing a “considerable period” behind bars.

“This case also shows the importance of reporting a robbery as soon as it happens and we would urge anyone who is the victim of a similar crime, or anyone who sees a robbery taking place, to call us immediately,” he added.

“This makes a significant impact on our ability to catch those responsible and prevent them from causing any further harm.”

Sentencing will take place at a later date.