Three men have been sentenced to prison following the theft of an estimated £1 million worth of luxury watches stolen monthly in London’s West End, according to police figures released this week. The sentencing stemmed from a high-profile case involving the robbery of a £137,000 Richard Mille watch from Romanian entrepreneur Catalin Botezatu earlier this year.

The incident occurred on the night of January 28 near Berkeley Square, just outside the Latin American restaurant Amazonico. Mr. Botezatu was smoking with a friend near his car when the three suspects—Younes Djoudi, 34, Ali Eldahouzze, 22, and Abdel El Habchi, 30—approached and surrounded him. CCTV footage presented at Southwark Crown Court reportedly showed the trio conducting surveillance in advance of the theft. The robbers then forcefully removed the diamond-encrusted watch from Mr. Botezatu’s wrist by cutting through its rubber strap, leaving him with injuries. The watch, a birthday gift from a deceased friend, has not been recovered.

Sentencing the defendants, Judge Dafna Spiro emphasized the expectation that London should be a safe city, particularly in its affluent neighborhoods. Djoudi received a sentence of five years and nine months, El Habchi was given five years and six months, and Eldahouzze was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.

Local authorities highlighted that this case is part of a broader pattern of violent robberies targeting high-value watches in the West End. Metropolitan Police spokesman Andy Swindells stated that the force averages about £1 million in wristwatch thefts every month in the area. From January to June 2026, there were 97 incidents of watch robberies or attempted thefts, with an additional 70 reported between July and September. Approximately 20 percent of these robberies involved the use or threat of a knife. Across the broader areas of Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster, police recorded 1,196 general robberies during the first half of the year.

While law enforcement continues efforts to address the issue, the persistence of these crimes underscores ongoing security concerns for residents and visitors to London’s luxury shopping and dining districts.