Three Jailed for £170,000 Rolex Robbery Outside Mayfair Restaurant

Three men have been jailed for a combined total of over 14 years for robbing a fashion designer of a £170,000 diamond-encrusted watch outside a Mayfair restaurant. The attack occurred on January 28, when Catalin Botezatu, who has undergone heart surgery, was smoking a cigar outside the restaurant Amazonico in Berkeley Square.

Ali Eldahouzze, 22, and Abdel El Habchi, 30, both Moroccan nationals, restrained Botezatu while Younes Djoudi, 34, an Algerian national, removed the Richard Mille watch from his wrist. Prosecutor Arizuna Asante told Southwark Crown Court that Botezatu felt alarmed and stressed during the incident, fearing for his life due to his recent surgery.

Eldahouzze and El Habchi denied robbery but were convicted by a jury, while Djoudi admitted the charge. Judge Dafna Spiro described the offense as planned and premeditated, noting that the involvement of all three defendants continued after the robbery as they reunited and traveled together.

Djoudi, who was found to have played a leading role, was sentenced to five years and nine months. El Habchi received five years and six months, and Eldahouzze was given three years and six months. Eldahouzze has prior convictions for attempted robbery in 2014 and 2017, both involving watches.

According to prosecutor Mr. Asante, Djoudi has an active deportation order and is liable for deportation due to the sentence imposed. El Habchi has indefinite leave to remain and is married to a British woman, while Eldahouzze has leave to remain until 2028, having arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child.

The stolen watch, a limited-edition diamond-encrusted Richard Mille, was reportedly worth up to €200,000 (£170,000) when acquired by Botezatu approximately 13 years ago, and is now worth considerably more. Botezatu stated the watch also held high sentimental value as it was a gift from a deceased friend. The timepiece has not been recovered.

El Habchi, who is also a social media influencer, had claimed he had no idea a robbery was about to take place. Eldahouzze had previously alleged that Djoudi threatened him into participating. Police found incriminating messages, including a picture of the stolen watch, on Eldahouzze's phone.

Detective Sergeant Swindles of the Metropolitan Police noted in a statement read to the court that approximately £1 million worth of watches are stolen monthly in London, with about 20 percent of watch robberies involving a knife being seen or intimated in the six months prior to the statement. He added that while efforts to charge and convict suspects have improved figures, the problem persists.

Botezatu, who studied under Gianni Versace and launched his own fashion label, Delphi, has featured at Paris, New York, and Milan fashion weeks. He also hosted the Romanian version of Next Top Model from 2011 to 2012. He has expressed that the incident has deterred him from returning to the city.