A series of high-value watch thefts in London's West End has led to prison sentences for several Algerian migrants and asylum seekers, according to multiple reports. Zakaria Senouci, 27, stole a £30,000 Patek Philippe watch from Sunil Chopra, 73, near Hyde Park in April 2025. Senouci changed his plea to guilty on the first day of trial and was sentenced to 3 years 9 months in prison. He is an Algerian asylum seeker, and his case will be referred to the Secretary of State for a deportation decision after his sentence. In a separate incident, Belal Amine, 26, and Gabriel Kamali, 23, stole a £65,000 Patek Philippe watch from Besart Krasniqi in Mayfair on May 11, 2024. Amine and Kamali were smuggled across the English Channel in 2019 and were in the UK illegally. Kamali pleaded guilty to robbery; Amine was convicted after trial. Both were sentenced on Monday by Judge Perrins. Abdulkarim Ienbuzir, 25, stole watches worth over £100,000, including a Cartier worth £5,000, a Hublot worth £18,000, and a Patek Philippe worth £85,000, in three robberies in Mayfair and near the Ritz Hotel between July and September 2024. Ienbuzir was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday. He is an Algerian migrant and an absconder from the asylum process. The exact sentence for Hocine Boulanouar remains unclear, with reports stating both 4 years 3 months and 4 years. It is also unknown whether the perpetrators in the Ben Thompson robbery were also Algerian migrants or asylum seekers, and whether these thefts are linked to a larger organized crime network.
BBC Breakfast presenter Ben Thompson and his friend, perfumer Roja Dove, were robbed in Mayfair after leaving Cecconi's restaurant in Burlington Gardens. Thompson had his £7,000 watch stolen by a gang of six, while Dove had his £150,000 Patek Philippe stolen. According to the Evening Standard, Thompson described feeling unsafe in London after the attack, and Dove said he feels very unsafe and is on high alert. Hocine Boulanouar, 26, was sentenced to 4 years 3 months, and Danis Tom-Deter, 36, to 2 years 9 months for the robbery. Boulanouar was in breach of a six-month suspended sentence when he attacked Thompson. He was convicted of two counts of robbery and sentenced to four years, according to other reports.
I no longer feel safe in London after the attack.
Love Island star Lauren Wood, 27, had her £1,000 Louis Vuitton handbag stolen in London, likely on the Tube or in Leicester Square. She discovered the bag missing at The Londoner hotel, and CCTV showed she did not enter with it.
Actor Rajshri Deshpande has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, according to research reports.
I feel very unsafe in London and am on high alert.
Kanye West is involved in a wrongful termination trial with contractor Tony Saxon. Handyman Jeromy Holding has backed parts of Saxon's claims against West, according to research reports. The outcome of the trial is not yet known.
Hillary Clinton denied visiting Jeffrey Epstein's island or having knowledge of his crimes in a deposition. She stated, "I have never been to Jeffrey Epstein's island. I have no knowledge of his crimes." She also challenged lawmakers to question Donald Trump under oath about Epstein, saying, "If lawmakers want to know the truth about Epstein, they should question Donald Trump under oath."
I have never been to Jeffrey Epstein's island. I have no knowledge of his crimes.
Donald Trump grew emotional during his State of the Union address while paying tribute to slain activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk's widow Erika Kirk stood in tears during the tribute, according to research reports.
If lawmakers want to know the truth about Epstein, they should question Donald Trump under oath.