Robber jailed after being caught by undercover cops trying to steal rare £250,000 watch in central London

A prolific thief who attempted to snatch a watch worth £250,000 in central London has been jailed.Brahim Keddad, 29, was sentenced to two years and four months at Southwark Crown Court after admitting attempting to rob the victim in Mayfair.Mr Keddad was caught after plain-clothed officers spotted him acting suspiciously on Jermyn Street at around 3.30pm on Friday, May 1.The officers were on a proactive patrol when they spotted Mr Keddad, who crept up behind Sun Tao and grabbed him on the shoulder before trying to wrestle a Richard Mille watch from his wrist.The court heard how Mr Tao, a Chinese visitor to London, was shoved and fell to the ground during the scuffle, suffering injuries to his knee and arm.Brahim KeddadMet PoliceProsecutor Luka Staton said: “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.“At some stage, Mr Tao managed to get to his feet, break free from the defendant and run away.“Fortunately, this was observed by an officer in plain clothes who quickly approached the defendant, announced he was a police officer and detained him.”One of the officers sprinted after Mr Keddad, detaining him with the help of a member of the public before calling for backup. Other officers arrived within minutes to assist with the arrest of Mr Keddad, who has more than 20 past convictions for theft and robbery offencesThe court heard Mr Tao was left “anxious” after the incident, feeling “not so safe any more to walk around on his own”.“It also made him feel aware of not having a valuable item on him while walking in London.”Judge Nicholas Ainley said Mr Tao “must have been terrified by the suddenness of what happened to him, and the force used on him.”He added that the actions of the officer who intervened “might well have meant this offence was not completed”.Read MoreThe watch was a Richard Mille RM 11-02 GMT Carbon Shanghai Limited Edition, one of just 30 made and valued at £250,000.The Richard Mille watchMet PoliceThe watch is made from lightweight carbon, and the limited production run and Shanghai-specific design have made it a particularly rare and sought-after model among collectors.Mr Keddad, a French national, was sentenced on Friday after he pleaded guilty to attempted robbery. He was told he must serve half his 28-month sentence, and it is understood he is also facing deportation from the UK.After his arrest, Mr Keddad said “I did it for my daughter,” with the court hearing that he sent money back to France to his ex-wife and young daughter.Detective Sergeant Andy Swindells, who led the investigation, said: “This case highlights the invaluable benefit of plain-clothed officers being on patrol. We were able to spot and arrest Keddad within minutes, returning the valuable watch to its owner and preventing others who live or visit in London from being victims.“Our work is having an impact, with neighbourhood crime – things like theft and robbery, down by 14% in the past year – the equivalent to 35,000 fewer offences reported across London."The Met continues to carry out intelligence-led patrols and targeted operations to identify offenders, disrupt criminal networks and protect the public. As a result, we’re getting more offenders like Keddad off the street.”The Met has targeted action against theft and robbery in recent months, with watch theft falling across Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham by 50% in the first six months of 2026 compared to the same period last year.The force also said theft from the person is down by 23% across London, while personal robbery is down by 11%.