The robbery gang
(Picture: Metropolitan Police)A group of robbers armed with knives and machetes who stole luxury watches and jewellery in a string of violent and terrifying street robberies are facing jail.
Victims were viciously attacked and forced to hand over their valuables in the broad-daylight muggings in Chelsea and Balham, southwest London.
The Met Police’s Flying Squad captured two of the robbers, Kaijuan Henry, 19, and Roshan Clark, 18, thanks to celebratory pictures of them posing with the stolen watches.
Another two, Michael Malik Ahmed, 29, and Zakariah Yusuf, 19, left behind their personal possession when fleeing from a stolen car being pursued by police.
They, alongside Jessy Ouma, 18, and Joseph Opoku, 19, have all been convicted over the robberies which happened in December 2021 and January last year, and await sentencing at Isleworth crown court.
“These men carried out multiple violent robberies which left many of those targeted fearing for their lives”, said Detective Sergeant Gary Taylor, one of the investigating officers.
“Their attacks were brazen, took place on busy streets and I have no doubt they would have gone on to commit further crimes if they had not been quickly caught.”
On December 21, 2021, a man was ambushed on Old Church Street in Chelsea at around 11.15am, when Clark and Henry – armed with a large serrated knife and a crow bar – grabbed his wrist and forced him to hand over his £1,500 Tag Heuer watch.
Less than an hour later, a man was chased in Balham by robbers brandishing a large Zombie knife, before being punched in the face for his bag.
Later the same day, Clark and Henry struck again, forcing two men sitting at a pub table to hand over their watches, worth around £35,000 each.
On January 9 last year, Ouma, Yusuf and Opoku robbed a couple in Draycott Avenue, Chelsea, threatening them with a machete to steal the woman’s £6,000 Rolex watch and
Bulgari ring. Her partner suffered multiple facial fractures after being hit in the face as his £1,150 Tag Heuer watch was swiped.
Ahmed acted as the getaway driver in the robberies, and left his house keys, phone and a bank card in the stolen BMW when it was abandoned following a police pursuit.
When he was arrested, Ouma had the incriminating pictures of Henry and Clark on his phone.
Ahmed, from Balham, admitted six robberies and was found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon and dangerous driving.
Henry, from Dagenham, was found guilty of four robberies and Ouma, of Battersea, was found guilty of two robberies.
Yusuf, Opoku, and Clark, all from the same estate in Battersea, admitted their parts in the robbery spree.
DS Taylor added: “We are pleased that a dangerous gang has been taken off our streets and our city will be safer now that these six men are facing a considerable period behind bars.
“This case also shows the importance of reporting a robbery as soon as it happens and we would urge anyone who is the victim of a similar crime, or anyone who sees a robbery taking place, to call us immediately. This makes a significant impact on our ability to catch those responsible and prevent them from causing any further harm.”
All are set to be sentenced on a date to be set.
