Gang of watch thieves robbed the same man twice in 24 hours

A ROBBERY victim had two watches stolen in the space of 24 hours after being jumped by the same gang which asked if he remembered it from the first attack.

The five street robbers, who targeted wealthy tourists, have now been jailed for a total of 18 years.

The men stole watches worth almost £40,000 from two separate victims in Cambridge over the course of just three days in October 2019.

One victim had two watches grabbed from him on consecutive days – a £500 Seiko watch, and a £10,000 Patek Philippe watch the next day, when a man approached him and said in Arabic: “Remember me, my friend?”

The second victim had his £26,500 Rolex watch, and his mobile phone, stolen after being shoved to the floor and held down by four of the five men.

All five men pleaded guilty to the offences they were charged with, and were handed jail sentences at Peterborough Crown Court, Cambs.

Mohamed Laanani, 25, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to commit robbery in Cambridge. He was also sentenced for four robberies in London.

Adam Alarmeli, 22, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to four years and four months for conspiring to commit robbery in Cambridge, as well as three years for a robbery in London, to be served concurrently.

Oussama Saoud, 22, of Marcia Road, London, was sentenced to three years for conspiring to commit robbery in Cambridge, and six months for possession of false identity documents.

Ouail Lachebi, 22, of HMP Peterborough, was sentenced to three years for conspiring to commit robbery in Cambridge, and three years for a robbery in London to be served concurrently.

Oussama Soufi, 21, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to three years for conspiring to commit robbery in Cambridge, and three years for a robbery in London, to be served concurrently.

Det Con Paul Evans said: “The victims were subjected to a terrifying ordeal by an organised crime group who set out to target foreign nationals across the South East. We’re delighted to see these men behind bars.”