Shocking moment robber knocks man out before ripping £145,000 watch from his arm in central London
9 November 2022, 09:18
This is the horrifying moment a robber walks up to a man in the street, wrestles him to the ground and steals his £145,000 watch.
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Robber Lindell Angell is seen in the video walking with his victim, 51, on January 21, in a quiet road near Charing Cross station, before launching his attack.
Angell, of Amhurst Road, in Hackney in east London, set out to steal the victim's Patek Phillippe and befriended him in a bar on the Strand, near where the attack took place.
Man convicted for violent high value watch robbery in central London that left victim unconscious
He then persuaded him to go to another bar before walking him down a dark side street, getting him in a chokehold, punching him, knocking him out and stealing the watch.
Heartless Angell left the victim unconscious and with broken bones in his face. He was found by a member of the public and treated by paramedics. The victim is still recovering from the attack eight months later.
He was found guilty of robbery and possessing criminal property at Southwark Crown Court on Monday. He will be sentenced on January 13 next year.
Police found Angell after looking through CCTV and phone records after a manhunt. They arrested him in a hotel room on February 6.
Officers later found a lock-up with large amounts of cash hired out six days after the robbery.
Detective Constable Gemma Oganian, who led the investigation, said: “This was a brutal robbery which not only resulted in serious physical harm, but many months after the offence, the victim continues to recover from the psychological trauma.
"People should be able to walk the streets of London and not fear this type of crime. We are doing everything in our power to ensure our streets are safe, and want to strongly reaffirm this to the public we serve. We will proactively investigate and seek tough sentences for offenders like Angell”.
Detective Superintendent Tor Garnett, lead for Central West Local Investigations, said: “This is a great example of the skill of our detectives in catching and convicting violent robbers who target innocent members of the public.
"Our dedicated watch robbery team will continue to proactively seek out these offenders and bring them to justice.”
Prosecution counsel Sue Obeney, said: "Angell had purported to befriend the victim, spent a couple of hours in a pub, accepting his generosity, and finished by robbing and leaving him unconscious on the road. At every turn he denied responsibility for the robbery”.
