CCTV shows armed robbers stealing £100,000 watch from American tourist

Two attackers have been convicted following the attack (Picture: SWNS)

This is the moment two balaclava-clad armed robbers wrestled a £100,000 Rolex from an American tourist in London.

The victim was walking with his father and a friend in upmarket Chelsea, last year, when they were targeted by knife and gun-wielding attackers.

The victim’s father was threatened with a knife while the female friend also had her £200 watch stolen.

No one was seriously injured during the shocking incident, which sparked a painstaking investigation to track down the attackers.  

Thomas Lenaghan, 23, and 20-year-old Ronnie Fitzgerald both admitted conspiracy to rob, threatening a person with a bladed article in a public place, possession of a stun gun and threatening a person with a stun gun.

The pair have now been convicted and are likely to face jail.

John Stovell, 50, has admitted handling stolen goods and assisting an offender.

Footage shows a frantic altercation at 12.15am on November 16, 2021, when masked men carrying what appears to be a weapon can be seen scrapping with two individuals trying to get away in the dark.  

The gang then escape in a waiting getaway vehicle.

The defendants was traced following a joint probe by the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad and Westminster Robbery Squad.

Police say they approached their victims while crossing Pavilion Road.

The first victim, aged 31, was pushed to the floor and hit from behind by a stun gun.

Thomas Lenaghan admitted conspiracy to rob, threatening a person with a bladed article in a public place, possession of a stun gun and threatening a person with a stun gun (Picture: SWNS)

Ronnie Fitzgerald was also convicted of the same charges (Picture: SWNS)

The suspects surrounded him and demanded he hand over his luxury watch.

His father tried to stop the attack but was threatened with the knife which cut through his coat but did not seriously injure him,

The friend also had their watch stolen after being threatened with a stun gun before the gang got away.

Several CCTV cameras and mobile phones captured the incident, but the gang could not be identified because they had their faces covered and wore generic clothing.

They were using a stolen Jaguar F-PACE with false plates, which meant it was difficult to identify and track down.

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But Flying Squad detectives analysed the footage and found a small sticker on the bottom right corner of the car’s windshield.

They then worked through crime records to find out how many Jaguar F-PACEs had been reported stolen and remained unrecovered in recent months, which left them with between 30 and 40 possible vehicles.

The team contacted each owner and worked out if any of their cars had any particular identifying features.

One told officers their car had a parking permit for their child’s school, which matched the sticker seen on the car used in the robbery.

Following that breakthrough, detectives worked out where the car had been before and after the robbery, which led them to footage capturing the robbers meeting without masks.

Photos of their faces were circulated and led to them being identified.

The car was later found in a car park near Earl’s Court in West London and a forensic examination linked the men to the vehicle.

Detective Constable Robert Rodak, who worked on the investigation, said: ‘This was a shocking and violent robbery which understandably left the victims shaken and feeling incredibly fortunate they did not suffer more serious injury.

‘Everyone should be able to walk through our streets unaffected by this type of crime and that is why we are doing everything we can to take offenders like Lenaghan, Fitzgerald and Stovell off our streets.

John Stovell admitted handling stolen goods and assisting an offender (Picture: SWNS)

‘This conviction was a result of a joint effort where our local team was assisted by the specialist skills of the Flying Squad to catch those responsible.

‘Working together we will continue to target and relentlessly pursue robbers who commit violent crime in London.’

Detective Chief Superintendent Owain Richards, responsible for local policing in Kensington and Chelsea, added: ‘Over the last few months we have been focusing our resources in hot spot areas where we know watch robberies have increased.

‘Our dedicated robbery team are tirelessly tracking down those responsible for these kinds of crimes and we hope this case demonstrates that anyone committing these offences will be identified and brought to justice.’

The gang are due to be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on December 9.

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Three people have now been convicted following the incident.