Met officers call time on series of watch robberies as prolific street thief is brought to justice

Officers have brought a prolific thief to justice following a string of watch robberies in London. It comes as part of the Met’s efforts to crack down on violence and robbery during the summer months.

Mohamed Amoyos, 33 (22.09.90) of Trimmer Walk, Houslow was sentenced to four-and-a-half years' imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday, 8 August. Amoyos had pleaded guilty to four counts of robbery at an earlier hearing.

Detective Superintendent Andy Swindells who led the investigation said: “Amoyos’ arrest follows a thorough investigation by officers that demonstrates their unwavering determination to make the capital safer for Londoners and tourists.

“We’ve seen time and time again the devastating effect that robbery can have on victims no matter what gets stolen.

“We encourage people to report as soon as they can whenever they have been a victim of a robbery or theft, so officers can attend the scene and investigate swiftly.”

The court heard that Amoyos targeted lone men at night for their designer watches. He would discuss football in South America before grabbing the victim’s watch once their guard was down.

Between October 2023 and December 2023, Amoyos stole four valuable watches totaling £65,000. These included a £7,000 Rolex watch that was stolen from a man in Kensington on 4 October 2023, before Amoyos snatched a £40,000 Audemars Piguet watch from a man in Westminster on 18 November 2023.

Six days later Amoyos targeted a man in Kensington for his Rolex Submariner watch, worth £15,000 before robbing a fourth victim of his limited-edition Muhammad Ali Tag Heurer watch, worth £2,500 in Westminster, on 1 December 2024.

Met officers arrested Amoyos on Monday, 8 January. A painstaking investigation allowed officers to build a watertight case against Amoyos following detailed reports by the victims as well as good quality CCTV images of the robberies taking place.

Amoyos’ sentencing follows several watch robberies in the capital.

• On 12 July 2024 Aidan Lukeman, 29 (11.08.94), of Chelsea Manor St, SW3 and Marcel Espinosa Farrell, 22 (07.08.02), also of Chelsea Manor St, SW3 were sentenced to a combined nine years and eight months. Their sentencings following a Met investigation into a series of robberies in Central London where high value watches were targeted.

• Footage released by the Metropolitan Police earlier this year showed watch thieves being arrested by plain-clothed officers in parts of capital. The Met revealed that the tactic had driven down robberies after a series of watches worth around £4m were stolen between April and September 2022.

Met officers are targeting resources to hotspot areas for both phone and watch robberies, such as Westminster and Croydon, with increased patrols and plain clothes officers which deter criminals and make officers more visibly available to members of the community.

Detectives continue to use data and technology to build intelligence and track stolen items to target offenders. For example, suspects who are imprisoned for 3 months or more for robbery are put on a tag on their release. If they are within 100m's of a reported robbery that has taken place in London, officers are able to use data from their tag to build evidence against those committing offences.