Zacariah Boulares, the teenager who threatened to decapitate TV presenter Aled Jones and left a Bridgerton star traumatised, has admitted arming himself with a machete to steal Rolex watches, facing more prison time.
Machete robberies admitted
Boulares, now 19, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Friday to the robbery of Mark Turner in Kensington Square Gardens on August 9 2023, and had already admitted the attempted robbery of Neil Tallantire outside Waitrose in Porchester Road, Bayswater, ten days later. He also pleaded guilty to possession of a machete during both incidents.
Judge Alexander Milne KC adjourned the cases for a psychological assessment and a probation report on "dangerousness" to be completed before sentencing.
Previous crimes
Boulares is currently serving a 22-month sentence for an incident in February last year when he tried to steal Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour's mobile phone at a Joe & The Juice branch on Kensington High Street. He was 16 when he ambushed Mr Jones in Chiswick High Road in 2023, snatching his £17,000 Daytona Rolex and threatening to cut off his head.
In July 2025, he was jailed at Isleworth Crown Court for a string of crimes, including the attempt to steal Ms Chenneour's phone and a theft from a blind woman. Judge Martin Edmunds KC, the Recorder of Kensington and Chelsea, noted Boulares had targeted wealthy areas for "rich pickings" in a "systematic pattern of stealing from people as they are enjoying a meal or refreshment at a restaurant".
Impact on victims
"You seem to be plagued by an attitude that if people can afford nice things, then you can take them," the judge said. "It's clear you are completely willing to use violence when challenged, and it's a matter of the deepest regret that individuals have been left feeling they don't want to come to London or they should leave London."
The court heard Boulares has 12 convictions for 28 offences, including violence, threatening behaviour, weapon possession and theft. He also admitted stealing a £20,000 Rolex from a man in his 70s at Paddington station in May 2023.
Boulares, from Feltham, south London, is due back in court on August 11 for a sentencing date to be set.
