Two Algerian migrants jailed after stalking tourist hotspots and trying to steal £15,000 watch

Two Algerian migrants have been jailed after stalking wealthy tourists through central London before attempting to steal a £15,000 luxury watch in Knightsbridge.

Ania Bala, 25, and Salah Mabrouk, 23, were each sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison following the attempted robbery outside the The Lanesborough on October 8 last year.

The pair targeted Mushal Alenezi, who was wearing a Hublot watch worth between £12,000 and £15,000.

Following a week-long trial at Southwark Crown Court, both men were convicted of attempted robbery despite denying the charges.

The court heard Bala entered Britain on a tourist visa before overstaying, while Mabrouk crossed the Channel illegally by small boat as an unaccompanied minor before claiming asylum.

Witness Mohamed Muradi told jurors he spotted the pair prowling around affluent parts of London searching for potential victims.

"I was driving when I saw two males acting suspiciously, looking at people, going behind people in a very suspicious way, checking hands, checking for watches, following people," he said.

Mr Muradi, who understood Arabic, said he overheard the pair discussing which watches appeared valuable.

"They were talking in Arabic. They were talking about watches. They were saying this is valuable, this is not valuable," he told the court.

The men then approached Mr Alenezi outside the hotel and attempted to forcibly take his watch.

Giving evidence through an interpreter, the victim said: "They came very close to me. I took the watch and put it in my pocket.

"One of them grabbed my wrist and the second one covered him."

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Mr Alenezi told jurors one attacker pulled at his arm while the other tried reaching into his pocket to retrieve the watch.

"I thought they would kill me. I was frightened," he added.

The court heard the tourist managed to resist the robbery before plainclothes officers nearby intervened and arrested both suspects.

Judge Christopher Hehir told the pair they had been hunting for wealthy victims in what he described as a "Rolex robbery."

"You found your victim in Mushal Alenezi, a gentleman from Kuwait who was wearing a Hublot wrist watch worth between £12,000 and £15,000," the judge said.

"He didn't succeed in getting away from you, but he had the time to take his valuable watch off and put it in his trouser pocket."

The court heard Mr Alenezi has since struggled to leave his home and suffered significant mental distress following the attempted robbery.

Jurors were also told he had been robbed of another luxury watch just eight months earlier.

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