Prolific thief jailed after plain clothes police stop attempted £250,000 watch theft in London's Mayfair

A prolific thief was caught by plain clothes police while violently trying to snatch a £250,000 watch from its owner's wrist.

Brahim Keddad, 29, came up behind Sun Tao and grabbed him on the shoulder before trying to wrestle a Richard Mille watch from his arm in Mayfair, central London.

Mr Tao, a Chinese tourist in the capital, was shoved and fell to the ground during the scuffle, suffering injuries to his knee and arm, as he walked from Bury Street to Ryder Street, in the St James's area, the court heard.

Keddad, who has more than 20 past convictions for theft and robbery, tried to run, but was captured by a plain clothes Metropolitan Police officer who had been following him before the attempted robbery, helped by a member of the public.

Four plain-clothed officers spotted a man acting suspiciously and one followed him at around 3.30pm on 30 April.

The suspect got on a Lime bike and cycled down the road, before approaching a man from behind, grabbing his wrist and trying to take his £250,000 timepiece.

The officer and the passer-by chased and caught the suspect before backup arrived and Keddad, of Islington, north London, was arrested.

French national Keddad pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and was jailed for more than two years at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.

Judge Nicholas Ainley said Mr Tao "must have been terrified by the suddenness of what happened to him, and the force used on him."

Prosecutor Luke Staton said the defendant "grabbed Mr Tao's shoulder with both hands and went to grab Mr Tao's left hand, because on his left hand was a Richard Mille watch with an estimated value of £250,000".

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"The defendant shouted words to the effect of 'watch, give me your watch', and he then pushed Mr Tao and had his hands on top of Mr Tao's wrist, trying to remove the watch.

Mr Tao, who fell onto the floor, scraping his knee and elbow, was left feeling "anxious" and unsafe when walking alone, the court heard.

After being arrested, Keddad said "I'm sorry", claimed he had not hurt Mr Tao, and added: "I did it for my daughter."

He has two convictions for robbery in Spain and a further 19 convictions in Spain mostly for theft offences, the court heard, and he is wanted in Belgium where he was sentenced in his absence last year to three years in prison for theft and forgery.

His barrister, Elizabeth Garcia, said Keddad turned to crime to pay off gambling debts.

Keddad was told he must serve half his 28-month sentence, and it is understood he is also facing deportation from the UK.

Detective Sergeant Andy Swindells, who led the Met Police's investigation, said the team "were able to spot and arrest Keddad within minutes, returning the valuable watch to its owner and preventing others who live or visit London from being victims".

Recent figures show street thefts have fallen by 23% across London, more than 23,000 fewer offences, while robbery is down by 11% - nearly 3,000 fewer offences than the previous year, the force said.

Watch thefts fell by more than half across Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea as well as Hammersmith and Fulham during the first six months of this year, compared with the same period in 2025 - down from 213 offences to 97.

(c) Sky News 2026: Prolific thief jailed after plain clothes police stop attempted £250,000 watch theft in