A
skilled distraction thief used sleight of hand during New Year
celebrations to steal expensive watches from the wrists of two
revellers.
Zajaria
Lalouii, 29, mingled with the thousands of people who converged on
central London for the celebrations to prey on his victims.
He
was sentenced to eleven months imprisonment for two counts of
robbery, during which he snatched a Rolex and Burberry watch.
Lalouii
was caught in the early hours of News Years Day by officers from
Westminster’s Operation Bobcat - a team designated to tackle
violent crime in and around the borough.
They
caught him in the act of taking the Burberry watch from his 23
year-old victim’s wrist in Heddon Street, Piccadilly.
Lalouii,
taking advantage of the celebrations, had pretended to dance with the
victim and wrapped his leg around the victim’s legs to distract him
while at the same time taking the watch.
Officers
arrested Lalouii and he was taken to a west London police station.
When
searched, he was in possession of the Rolex watch that had been
stolen on 24 hours earlier from a 35-year-old man in Marylebone Lane,
Marylebone.
Police
Constable Andy Marsh of Westminster Borough, said: "While
nobody was injured as a result of these thefts, the effects of
becoming a victim of robbery run far deeper than a loss of property.
"I
hope that the conviction and sentencing of Lalouii brings a measure
of comfort to the victims."
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