Algerian Asylum Seeker Jailed for Handbag Theft and Assault

An Algerian asylum seeker has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for stealing 13 designer handbags from a London department store and assaulting staff. Kheirddine Fatmi, 35, of Wood Green, was involved in the theft at John Lewis on October 30, where he and four other masked individuals stole items valued at £12,800.

During the incident, Fatmi shoved a security guard and spat on the guard's bare arm. CCTV footage captured the group fleeing the scene, but Fatmi was apprehended shortly after. The court heard that one staff member was left visibly shaken by the event.

In separate incidents, Fatmi also spat in the face of a Co-op worker on April 22, 2025, and threw a bag of food at another employee a week later. He committed further offenses at the same store, including abuse and spitting at a staff member on April 30, 2025, and stealing a bottle of alcohol on August 3.

Fatmi, a construction worker seeking asylum in the UK, stated that he turned to crime because he could not work legally while his asylum claim was pending. He has a young son in Algeria and is awaiting dental treatment for injuries sustained in a separate assault. Fatmi pleaded guilty to robbery, theft, and three counts of assault.

Mr Recorder Jas Jandu, addressing Fatmi, noted, "You minimise your behaviour and appear to be here illegally, stealing to survive." In addition to the prison sentence, Fatmi is banned from entering the Baker Street Co-op for five years. He appeared in court with an Arabic interpreter and kept his head lowered during sentencing.