Overview
- Zakaria Senouci, 27, was sentenced Thursday at Southwark Crown Court to three years and nine months for robbing a 73-year-old of a £30,000 Patek Philippe near Hyde Park.
- CCTV and cell-site data showed him and an accomplice loitering before he yanked the watch from Sunil Chopra’s wrist, scratching his arm and tearing his sleeve.
- The uninsured watch, intended as an heirloom for Chopra’s son, has not been recovered, and Chopra now reports anxiety, nightmares, and plans to leave the UK.
- As an Algerian asylum seeker, Senouci will be referred to the Home Secretary at the end of his term for a deportation decision.
- Police and City Hall have highlighted a wider rise in high-end watch thefts in London, often using spotters and e-bikes, and have launched a public safety campaign.