Txomin Huare-Place, 31, was already serving six years for similar offences. His new sentence of two years and nine months will run consecutively.
An Algerian immigrant described as a serial watch thief has been jailed for two years and nine months for robbing a Canadian tourist of a £65,000 Patek Philippe watch in Mayfair. Txomin Huare-Place, 31, grabbed the timepiece from the wrist of Axel Schwan, who was visiting London for the Wimbledon finals in 2024. Southwark Crown Court heard that Huare-Place was already serving a six-year sentence for other robberies. The new term will follow on from it.
The robbery
Prosecutor Keren Weekes told the court that Mr Schwan and his wife left Sotheby’s on New Bond Street at about 4pm, after he had watched a match and then accompanied her to an auction. They were walking to a shop when he felt a tug on his left wrist and “intense pain”.
“The victim says he could not understand what was happening as it happened so quickly,” Ms Weekes said. Mr Schwan, a coffee house owner, chased the thief but “lost balance and fell over” as the robber escaped with two other men on bikes.
CCTV footage showed Huare-Place loitering and communicating with two other males before the robbery, the court heard. He then approached Mr Schwan and ripped the watch, an Aquanaut Travel model, from his wrist.
The impact on the victim
Reading Mr Schwan’s victim impact statement, Ms Weekes said: “The robbery has profoundly affected me emotionally as nothing like it has happened to me before. Having something so valuable taken from me with such force on a Sunday in London’s most busy shopping area has left me feeling vulnerable.”
He added: “The trip was meant to be a joyful experience but took a devastating turn. We came to watch Wimbledon and went to London for a weekend shopping trip. What was supposed to be a lovely day turned into a nightmare and cast a shadow over the trip.”
Mr Schwan said he originally bought the watch for £28,000. It has since been discontinued and is “impossible” to replace, and he now values it at £65,000. “This event has not only caused us financial strain but left us with lingering fears for our security,” he said. He is the regional president of Tim Hortons’ Canada and US business.
Sentence and mitigation
Huare-Place appeared on Tuesday in a black puffer jacket, with an Arabic interpreter, and spoke only to confirm his name. He admitted one count of robbery earlier this month.
Defending, Charlie Hutchins said his client wished to express remorse and apologise to Mr Schwan. “He appreciates that he clearly was enjoying a lovely day in the sun, by the sounds of it, having gone to Wimbledon. Nobody deserves that, so he would like to apologise for that,” he said.
Mr Hutchins said Huare-Place wanted to return to Algeria and work in delivery driving to provide for his family. He said the defendant would be eligible for the early removal scheme and argued that a concurrent sentence would help free up prison space.
Judge Timothy Moloney KC said: “In my view, there was very high value goods targeted and obtained, and there was planning.” He noted that two men who helped had pleaded guilty to theft and been sentenced. He said he had to take into account totality because Huare-Place was already serving a sentence of about six years. The defendant tensed his face and shut his eyes as he was sentenced.
Background
The prosecution described Huare-Place as a member of the “Rolex Ripper” gangs that have targeted wealthy tourists in London’s West End. He has been jailed for six years over a spate of robberies, the most recent involving him and another thief targeting watches from passengers leaving black cabs. He has several previous convictions, including a 2022 conviction for theft from the person and two similar watch robberies in June last year. He was later arrested and interviewed at HMP Wandsworth, where he gave no comment to questions.
Fellow Algerian immigrant Ahmed Djidi, 27, was jailed for 22 months for his part in stealing Mr Schwan’s watch.
