Two robbers who used a stun gun on a US tourist and snatched his £100,000 Rolex in Chelsea have been jailed after a parking permit sticker on their stolen getaway car led to their capture. The American father and son and a female friend were crossing Pavilion Road when they were approached by the gang, dressed in black and wearing balaclavas.
Shocking CCTV footage shows the moment one victim, aged 31, was hit from behind by a stun gun and fell to the ground. He kicked his legs to keep the thieves at bay as his father stepped in to protect him. The robbers slashed at the father with a knife, cutting through his coat, and forced the female friend to hand over her watch worth around £200.
The getaway car, a stolen Jaguar F-PACE with false plates, was identified by detectives from the Met's Flying Squad who spotted a small sticker on the windshield. The owner confirmed the car had a parking permit for a child's school, matching the sticker seen in the robbery footage.
This breakthrough led to the identification of Thomas Lenaghan, 24, Ronnie Fitzgerald, 20, and John Stovell, 51. Lenaghan and Fitzgerald were sentenced to six years and nine months for conspiracy to rob, threatening with a bladed article and a stun gun. Stovell was jailed for 18 months for handling stolen goods and assisting an offender.
Detective Constable Robert Rodak said: 'This was a shocking and violent robbery which left the victims shaken. Everyone should be able to walk our streets without fear of such crime.'
