'Robbers who stalked wealthy shoppers for valuables stole £700k watch'

Stolen: the Richard Mille RM 69 Erotic Tourbillon, one of 30 made by the Swiss company
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A team of robbers stole one of the world’s most expensive watches as they targeted wealthy Londoners for their valuables, a court has heard.

Mehdi Didda, 33, and Mohamed Safri, 34, allegedly stalked victims as they shopped, using earpieces to communicate with each other.

They are accused of being part of a group that carried out robberies between October and December last year.

Didda’s brother, Sofiane Didda, 43, is also accused of helping to sell the stolen goods from a lock-up in Queensway Market, Bayswater.

Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe told Southwark crown court the watches taken were worth “between £20,000 and in one case nearly £700,000”. The most expensive was a Richard Mille RM 69 Erotic Tourbillon, one of 30 made.

Ms Stonecliffe told jurors the robbers identified a victim “by the type of watch they were wearing, the shopping bag they were carrying, and the area they were in. They would follow them around the shop or keep watch on them.

“Once the time was right the defendants and their fellow conspirators would grab the watch from the victim.”

She said one victim, Fawkzyah Al Sharah, lost a monogrammed Louis Vuitton bag when it was swiped from the boot of her chauffeur-driven car as she headed to Heathrow Airport.

The bag contained a necklace and pendant from Chopard and a Harry Winston watch that was later found in the lock-up. Other stolen goods found in the unit include a robotic drone, a Nikon camera and a Panerai watch.

The Didda brothers deny wrongdoing, arguing they ran a legitimate business and did not know the goods in the lock-up were stolen.

Mehdi Didda, of Tooting, and Safri, of no fixed address, both deny conspiracy to rob. Mehdi and Sofiane Didda, of Bethnal Green, deny conspiracy to handle stolen goods, seven counts of handling stolen goods, and one of possessing criminal property. Sofiane Didda also denies two charges of handling stolen goods and one of possessing criminal property. The trial continues.

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