Witness said she felt ‘helpless’ as knife-wielding thugs stole a £60,000 Rolex watch in Chelsea
The witness of a brutal theft in London said she felt ‘helpless’ as she watched masked thugs steal a woman’s £60,000 Rolex at knifepoint.
The 40-year-old woman said the thieves, who attacked the female victim and her male companion on a quiet street in Chelsea, west London on Monday, were determined to seize the watch at any cost.
‘They were clearly going to get what they came for, come what may,’ she said.
Two hooded thieves wearing balaclavas and black clothes leapt from a Mitsubishi car before ambushing the woman in her 30s and man in his 40s as they walked through the upmarket area.
The witness said she heard screaming and told her teenage children to record the attack on their phones while she called the police.
But she fears that even with the video footage, they might have got away with it.
She added: ‘You feel so helpless, but what else can you do? It was terrifying to see this happening in the street where I’ve lived for 14 years.
A witness said that the female victim, seen in footage cowering from the masked thugs on a doorway, told her that she had been wearing a £60,000 Rolex watch
‘My son and daughter went down to help the couple with some water and the woman sat in my car while we waited for the police. It took them about 25 minutes to arrive.
‘The couple were foreign tourists and the woman said her watch was a rose gold Rolex, which is worth about £60,000. My daughter told her gently that she shouldn’t have been wearing it on display in London, but how were they to know?
‘They said they had been in South Kensington, so we think the gang probably spotted them there and waited until they went into a quiet side street before they pounced.
‘When the police arrived, they took our videos, but also said that the car would have been stolen or with cloned plates, and after the robbery, they would have probably dumped it, then gone three separate ways on the Tube or bus.
‘Unless they’re caught red-handed, it seems they get away with it.’
In new video footage obtained by MailOnline, one of the criminals can be seen tussling with the female victim as she lay in a doorway in Pond Place.
An elderly lady tried to come to her aid with a broom handle but by this point the thieves already had the watch and they jumped into their car and escaped.
Social media users reacted to the latest knife incident in central London, with some blaming mayor Sadiq Khan.
The witness said she told her children to film the incident on her phone while she called the police
An elderly lady tried to come to the victims’ aid with a broom handle but by this point the thieves already had the watch and they jumped into their car and escaped
Responding to footage shared on Instagram, TV star Shabs Ahmad warned Mr Khan that he will have ‘blood on’ his ‘hands’ if he does not step in to address the wave of violent crime continuing to hit London.
He said: ‘Sadiq Khan are you seeing this s*** mate? And you’re too busy expanding the ULEZ?
‘Sort it out. Like I said before, you will have blood on your hands.
‘This guy could have very easily been stabbed.’
He went on to add: ‘All I’m saying is I think we all need to be ready for them cos ain’t nobody taking my s***.’
Royal Biographer Omid Scobie said: ‘Another day, another watch mugging in London (call the Met Police if you have info about this Knightsbridge incident).
‘Sadiq Khan doing f*** all as criminals continue to take over city.
‘After recently getting jumped in Mayfair, I’ll never wear a watch out again and suggest you do same.’
BBC TV star Shabs Ahmad warned London Mayor Sadiq Khan to ‘sort out’ the rate of violent crime in London, claiming the man in the video ‘could have easily been stabbed’
The Met has launched an investigation into the robbery, after being called to the scene shortly before 2.40pm on Monday.
Chief Superintendent Owain Richards condemned the ‘appalling incident’.
‘No-one should be subjected to such unacceptable violence,’ he said.
‘Our dedicated Robbery Team are investigating and trawling CCTV. We have seen a rise in watch robberies, and are focusing our resources in the hotspots.’
No arrests have yet been made and police are appealing for witnesses or those with information to call 101 ref CAD 3968/22 Aug.
The shocking incident came just hours after a brazen thief disguised as a Deliveroo driver smashed a £3million Bugatti Chiron with a hammer in a bid to steal a Kuwaiti playboy’s Rolex as he drove through the capital on Sunday.
And on Saturday, a brawl in south London saw at least four people stabbed, as pressure mounts on Mayor Sadiq Khan to better tackle the scourge of knife crime, which has surged over the past year as the UK exited the Covid pandemic.
