Two Algerian migrants have been jailed for stealing designer watches worth over £100,000 from black taxi passengers in London. Txomin Huare-Place, 30, and Ayoub Harek, 23, targeted wealthy individuals in the West End.
The pair were arrested after police spotted them outside the Millennium Hotel in Knightsbridge on November 9 last year. An investigation revealed they had stolen three Patek Philippe watches valued at £32,000, £44,000, and £60,000 from individuals in the area.
Huare-Place, from Lewisham, southeast London, was jailed for three years and nine months after admitting three counts of robbery. Harek, of no fixed address, was jailed for three years after admitting two counts.
Sentencing, Judge Mark Weekes described the offending as a 'pattern of deliberate, targeted offending in public places' involving force. He noted that the offences were aggravated by group offending and the high value of items.
The first theft occurred on July 7, 2022, when Huare-Place stole a £32,000 Patek Philippe from Mark Watkin-Jones as he entered a taxi. On June 20, 2025, Huare-Place and Harek robbed Eric Yau of his £44,000 watch, a wedding present, as he exited a cab. Three days later, they snatched Eric Willoughby's £60,000 Patek Philippe.
In a victim statement, Mr Willoughby said he experienced heightened anxiety and paranoia since the robbery, feeling unsafe in London. The prosecutor noted that Harek used false documentation and that the operation was clearly organised.
