Thieves rob a man of his £128K Mille watch right in the heart of Oxford

OXFORD, UK---Three years ago, four men attacked and robbed a man of his £128,000 Mille watch just outside St. Aldate’s Church in Oxford.

The victim was sitting on a bench while his friend went next door to a sandwich shop to get some ice cream, a prosecutor said. 

Brazen thieves robbed a man of his £128K Mille watch as he sat on one of these benches at St. Aldate's Church in Oxford. One of the four accused has a trial in September.

The police studied the CCTV, closed circuit television found everywhere in the UK, I’m told, and determined one of the men to be Walid Sadaqui, an Algerian national.

Two of the four “had fled,” court officials announced Friday (April 25) before proceedings started at Oxford Crown Court.

Friday (April 25), the defendant appeared in front of Judge Ian Pringle, KC and went into the glass box to find out where his case stands.

St. Aldate's Church sits across from Christ Church in Oxford. Maybe you've been there.

Sadaqui’s attorney, who was hoping to get the robbery charge changed to theft, said that his client insists that “they got the wrong guy” and that information on his cell phone will prove that.

Whoever robbed him, it was an audacious theft. Tourists stream up and down St. Aldate’s Street alongside professors and students. There are plenty of businesses, churches, and tourist sites packed into the area.

When the man was “pounced on” and robbed, he was sitting on a bench, a prosecutor told The Probable Cause. 

At St. Aldate’s Church, there are several benches just off the street enclosed by a wrought iron fence and a beautiful tree. It’s calm and private.

Have they no respect?

Just across the street is Christ Church, part of the Oxford University campus and of such renown it’s hard to imagine a scene more unlikely. Just up the street is the Carfax Tower, dating back to the 12th century, and further on a 10th-century Saxon tower. Buskers, tourist shops, a Starbucks and restaurants share the main street.

 A town councillor said pickpockets/thieves don’t seem to bother with cell  phones anymore. 

They go for jewelry and watches, high ticket items that some of the foreign tourists flaunt on the streets of the storied university.

And even if no one else spotted the high end timepiece, apparently this foursome did. Allegedly.

Sadaqui, who will remain in custody, has another hearing on May 2. His trial is set for Sept. 15.

In the meantime, the court will need to find an interpreter who “speaks Algerian,” although in Algeria, the primary language is Arabic followed by Berber and French, according to online sources.