Former champion boxer Amir Khan is auctioning off for charity the £70,000 diamond-encrusted watch robbers forced him to hand over at gunpoint.
The Bolton-born 2004 Olympic silver medallist, 36, was targeted as he and his wife, Faryal Makhdoom, 31, left the Sahara Grill restaurant in Leyton, east London, on April 18 last year.
A trial at east London's Snaresbrook Crown Court heard Khan was forced to take off the bespoke, rose gold Franck Muller watch, a gift following a boxing match, by gunman Dante Campbell, 20.
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Campbell, of Hornsey, and getaway driver Ahmed Bana, 25, of Tottenham, both in north London, admitted conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of an imitation firearm during the trial and will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.
Ismail Mohamed, 24, of Edmonton, and Nurul Amin, 25, of Harringay, both in north London, were unanimously acquitted by a jury of conspiracy to rob.
Khan, who retired last year with a professional record of 34 wins from his 40 fights and was a unified world champion at light-welterweight, has now revealed the Metropolitan Police have returned the watch to him.
He said the watch would now be auctioned for charity and that he also wanted to donate money to causes working to tackle gun and knife crime in the UK.
In a post on Instagram, Khan said: "A big Thank you to the Metropolitan Police and flying squad for getting my watch back and finding the robbers. I'd like to auction my watch and raise funds for the less fortunate and also give a donation towards gun and knife crime in the UK. Thank you to the British media for raising awareness."
In an accompanying video he added: "I have got my watch back now and I want to thank the Met Police. I just want to say that I'm going to give it to charity now. So whatever I get for this watch now, I am going to auction it.
"I am going to give it to the Amir Khan Foundation - all funds are going to go to charity."
Set up by the boxer in 2014, the foundation is a registered charity which aims to provide support to those most at need, at home and abroad.
Khan, who has been confirmed for the upcoming I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! all-stars ITV series in South Africa, told the Sun on Sunday after the case: “It was the first time I’ve ever seen a gun in my life. I could see down the barrel. I remember looking back seeing where my wife was. She ran back on the road and screamed ‘help!’
"At the time, I didn’t know what he wanted. I thought maybe this is a prank. I just took off the watch, he grabbed it.
"People said after, ‘You should’ve fought them’. Are they stupid? I’ve got a family. It’s only a watch. My life means more to me.
"When you have kids, you have a priority to make sure they are looked after. I am the breadwinner for the family. If I was with the kids, I don’t know what I would’ve done. Maybe I would have panicked and tried to run."
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