A Moroccan social media influencer convicted of helping to rob Romanian fashion designer Catalin Botezatu of a £170,000 Richard Mille watch in Mayfair is facing a prison sentence.
Abdel El Habchi, 30, and Ali Eldahouzze, 22, were found guilty of robbery by a jury at Southwark Crown Court. Younes Djoudi, 34, had admitted the offence before the trial.
The three men targeted Mr Botezatu shortly before midnight on 28 January after he left the Amazonico restaurant in Berkeley Square. He had been standing outside with a friend and smoking a cigar when the group approached.
The court heard that Eldahouzze and El Habchi restrained the designer while Djoudi removed the watch from his wrist. The rubber strap was cut with a sharp object, leaving Mr Botezatu with injuries to both wrists.
Prosecutor Arizuna Asante said the men had acted as part of a joint enterprise and had been seen examining the restaurant and their eventual target before the robbery.
Mr Botezatu, who has worked with Versace and studied under Gianni Versace, gave evidence from behind a screen with the assistance of a Romanian interpreter. He showed jurors photographs of the cuts and bruising he suffered during the attack.
He said he had been pushed into metal railings and feared for his life because of his medical history, including a previous cancer operation and five heart stents.
“I could become emotional but I don’t want to do this. My life was in danger,” he told the court.
Mr Botezatu said: “I couldn’t believe that something like this could happen in London, in front of a luxury restaurant where I was a client.”
He told jurors that the watch had been given to him by a friend who later died, making it particularly valuable to him. He received the limited-edition, diamond-encrusted Richard Mille around 13 years ago for up to €200,000 (£170,000), and the court heard it would now be worth considerably more.
Influencer denied knowing about robbery
El Habchi, who works as a security guard and has previously appeared in videos wearing a uniform, denied having any part in the robbery. He told jurors he had “absolutely no idea” that the attack was about to take place.
He said he was born near Casablanca and came to Britain on a spouse visa in March 2019 after marrying a woman called Amy. The couple have two children.
El Habchi also told the court that he has two million followers on Facebook, 350,000 on Instagram and 95,000 on TikTok, where he livestreams himself travelling around London.
Eldahouzze likewise denied robbery. He claimed Djoudi had threatened to “set me on fire” if he did not take the watch, but said he had refused to do so.
Messages found on Eldahouzze’s phone included a photograph of the stolen timepiece, the court heard.
After the attack, Mr Botezatu said his assistant chased the three men for about 500 metres before they split up.
He told jurors that, although he did not clearly see the men’s faces, he remembered their clothing because he was a fashion designer.
Judge Dafna Spiro remanded El Habchi and Eldahouzze in custody after the verdict. All three men are due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 16 October.
