"they had no qualms about brandishing a firearm"
Two men have been convicted of robbing Amir Khan at gunpoint of his £70,000 diamond-encrusted watch.
Dante Campbell, aged 20, and Ahmed Bana, aged 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and possession of an imitation firearm.
Amir Khan dined at the Sahara Grill in Leyton, east London, with his wife Faryal Makhdoom and friend Omar Khalid on April 18, 2022.
They left the restaurant just after 9 pm and crossed the road to get to their car.
But as they approached the car, Mr Khan was approached by Campbell, who pointed a gun in his face and shouted at him to “take off the watch”.
The retired boxer handed over his watch – believed to be worth over £70,000 – and the men ran back towards their car before quickly driving away.
Campbell and Bana were arrested as part of a planned operation in the early hours of June 22, 2022.
Clothing and a backpack matching that worn by the gunman on CCTV were found in Campbell’s bedroom.
Detective Constable Stuart Ponder said:
“This robbery was carefully planned and executed by these individuals who knew exactly who they were targeting and what they were aiming for.
“Despite being on a busy street with other members of the public close by, they had no qualms about brandishing a firearm and threatening Mr Khan with the most brazen and extreme level of violence.
“We know every robbery has a significant impact on the victim and Mr Khan has spoken out about the impact this had, not only on him but his family.
“That is why we are doing everything we can to target individuals who think they can get away with this type of behaviour, from extra patrols at known robbery hotspots and developing intelligence on those carrying out these crimes.
“Anyone who is a victim of a robbery should report it as soon as possible.”
“This helps us ascertain crucial forensic evidence to take these violent criminals off our streets.”
Campbell and Bana will be sentenced at a date yet to be confirmed.
This comes after Nurul Amin and Ismail Mohammed were found not guilty of conspiracy to rob.
They were said to be “spotters“, sitting at a table just a few feet away and watching the group eat.
One man, Hamza Kulane, remains wanted in connection with the robbery.
Loading ...