A Moroccan influencer and two associates have been convicted of a violent robbery targeting fashion designer Catalin Botezatu in London's Mayfair district. The group stole a diamond-encrusted Richard Mille watch during a midnight ambush on January 28.
The £170,000 Richard Mille and the violence at Amazonico
On the night of January 28, Catalin Botezatu, a fashion designer previously associated with the luxury house Versace, was attacked while smoking a cigar outside the Latin American restaurant Amazonico in Berkeley Square. According to the report, three men—Abdel El Habchi, Ali Eldahouzze, and Younes Djoudi—ambushed Botezatu shortly before midnight to steal a limited-edition Richard Mille timepiece.
The watch, featuring diamonds and crystals, had an original value of approximately £170,000, though its market price had risen significantly over the thirteen years Botezatu owned it. Beyond the financial loss, the timepiece held deep sentimental value as a gift from a deceased friend, making the theft a personal blow as well as a financial one.
From Sainsbury's security to social media fame: The profile of Abdel El Habchi
The perpetrators presented a paradoxical background to the Southwark Crown Court. Abdel El Habchi, a Moroccan national who arrived in the UK on a spouse visa in 2019, is a social media influencer who previously worked as a security guard for the supermarket chain Sainsbury's. The fact that a trained security professional participated in a violent street robbery adds a layer of irony to the prosecution's case.
His accomplice, Ali Eldahouzze, also leveraged a massive digital footprint, claiming to have 2 million followers on Facebook, 350,000 on Instagram, and 95,000 on TikTok. as the report says, Eldahouzze frequently used these platforms to livestream his movements across London, contrasting his public persona with the calculated nature of the Mayfair ambush.
Five stents and a cancer survivor's brush with fatality
The physical violence of the attack was exacerbated by Catalin Botezatu's precarious health. during his testimony, Botezatu revealed that he is a cancer survivor with five stents in his body, meaning that the violent struggle—which included being shoved into metal railings—could have been fatal had he suffered a severe blow to his operated areas.
The brutality of the heist was marked by the use of a sharp instrument to slash through the rubber strap of the Richard Mille watch, leaving Botezatu with visible cuts on his wrists. The designer described the experience as a life-threatening event, expressing shock that such a brazen crime could occur in the heart of Mayfair in front of a luxury establishment.
A mobile phone photo and the October 16 sentencing date
The conviction of Abdel El Habchi and Ali Eldahouzze rested on a combination of digital evidence and prior admissions. While both men initially denied involvement, prosecutor Arizuna Asante presented incriminating messages and a photograph of the stolen luxury watch found on the mobile phone of Ali Eldahouzze.
Following a unanimous guilty verdict from the jury, Judge Dafna Spiro ordered the defendants to be remanded in custody. The legal proceedings will conclude with their sentencing, which is scheduled for October 16, after Younes Djoudi had already admitted to his role in the joint enterprise.
Mayfair's luxury districts as hunting grounds for high-value heists
This robbery is part of a disutrbing trend where high-net-worth individuals are specifically targeted in London's most affluent neighborhoods. By scoping out victims in luxury districts like Mayfair, criminals are treating these areas as high-yield hunting grounds , leaving victims with lasting psychological trauma and physical injuries.
Despite the convictions, several details remain unverified. It is currently unknown if the diamond-encrusted Richard Mille watch has been recovered or if it was sold to a third party. Furthermore, while the prosecution argued the trio acted in a joint enterprise, it remains unclear if the group had wider connections to organized luxury-goods theft rings in London.
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