Posted on the 16th June 2026 in PHTM News

ALGERIAN WATCH THIEVES JAILED FOR 136K WEST END BLACK CAB LUXURY WATCH ROBBERIES

Two Algerian migrants have been jailed after executing an organised campaign to rip luxury watches off wealthy passengers using London's iconic black cabs.

Txomin Huare-Place, 30, and Ayoub Harek, 23, targeted victims in the city’s affluent West End, stealing three Patek Philippe watches worth a combined £136,000 before being caught by police outside a Knightsbridge hotel.

During their sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Mark Weekes condemned their actions, stating: "What emerges is a pattern of deliberate, targeted offending in public places against members of the public and involving the use of force to a lesser or greater extent."

The court heard that the duo's rapid-fire crimes were severely "aggravated by group offending" and the high value of the items stolen.

The first robbery occurred on July 7, 2022, when Huare-Place snatched a £32,000 watch from Mark Watkin-Jones as he entered a taxi after dining out. Prosecutor Natalia Williams noted that "the incident lasted between 10 and 20 seconds" before the thieves vanished.

Three years later, on June 20, 2025, the pair struck again on St James Street, ambushing Eric Yau as he stepped out of a cab and ripping a £44,000 wedding-gift watch from his wrist. Just three days later, they targeted Eric Willoughby, grabbing him with "such force that he spun around" to steal his £60,000 timepiece.

The impacts of the robberies extended far beyond financial loss. In a moving victim statement, Mr. Willoughby revealed: "Since the robbery I have experienced heightened anxiety and paranoia when out in public... I frequently feel vulnerable and unsafe in London, a city where I used to feel safe and at ease."

The sophisticated operation finally collapsed on November 9 when suspicious hotel staff in Knightsbridge flagged the lurking pair to the police.

Investigations later revealed that the men were highly calculating, with Ms. Williams stating that "both defendants were pre-planning and targeting high value goods. This is clearly an organised operation."

She added that Harek had even been using false documents and various passports under different names to slip in and out of the country, including taking a flight to Barcelona.

Huare-Place, of Lewisham, was sentenced to three years and nine months after admitting to three counts of robbery.

Harek, who is of no fixed address, received a three-year sentence after admitting to two counts of robbery.

Both men required the assistance of an Arabic interpreter throughout their court hearings.


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