Watch robber caught red-handed trying to steal ultra-rare £250,000 Richard Mille after police spot him stalking Mayfair victim
Man who tried to steal £250,000 Richard Mille watch jailed after being caught by undercover police
A watch robber who tried to snatch a £250,000 Richard Mille from a man in central London has been jailed after he was caught in the act by plain-clothes Metropolitan Police officers on patrol.
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Brahim Keddad, 29, was sentenced to two years and four months at Southwark Crown Court after admitting attempting to rob the victim in Mayfair.
The attempted robbery happened on Jermyn Street on 1 May, when four plain-clothes officers carrying out a proactive patrol spotted Keddad behaving suspiciously.
Police said officers saw him walking slowly through the area while closely watching passers-by before one officer got out of an unmarked police car to follow him on foot.
Moments later, Keddad got onto a Lime bike, cycled down the street and allegedly approached a man from behind before grabbing his wrist in an attempt to steal his Richard Mille watch, worth around £250,000.
The officer sprinted after Keddad and detained him with the help of a member of the public before calling for backup. Other officers arrived within minutes and arrested the 29-year-old at the scene.
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The watch targeted in the robbery was a Richard Mille RM 11-02 GMT Carbon Shanghai Limited Edition, one of just 30 made.
The £250,000 timepiece is made from lightweight carbon and features a GMT function, allowing its wearer to track multiple time zones. The extremely limited production run and distinctive Shanghai-specific design have made it a particularly rare and sought-after model among collectors.
Keddad, of Seven Sisters Road in Islington, was later charged with attempted robbery and has now been sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment.
Detective Sergeant Andy Swindells, who led the investigation, said: “This case highlights the invaluable benefit of plain-clothed officers being on patrol. We were able to spot and arrest Keddad within minutes, returning the valuable watch to its owner and preventing others who live or visit in London from being victims.
“Our work is having an impact, with neighbourhood crime, things like theft and robbery, down by 14% in the past year, the equivalent of 35,000 fewer offences reported across London.
“The Met continues to carry out intelligence-led patrols and targeted operations to identify offenders, disrupt criminal networks and protect the public. As a result, we’re getting more offenders like Keddad off the street.”
The sentence comes as the Met says watch theft continues to fall in the capital’s luxury shopping districts.
Across Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham, where high-value watch thefts are most common, recorded offences fell by more than 50% in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, dropping from 213 incidents to 97.
The force also said theft from the person is down by 23% across London, while personal robbery has fallen by 11%, which officers say reflects the impact of intelligence-led operations targeting prolific offenders.