A man who murdered a music promoter while stealing his Patek Philippe designer watch has been jailed for life as the luxury watch market is hit by a rise in muggings.
Jordell Menzies, 27, was given a minimum term of 31 years for stabbing Emmanuel Odunlami, 32, at an event in central London.
Mr. Odunlami was wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch with diamond encrusting which was worth around £125,000, although it is thought the one he had on was actually a fake.
A trial at the Old Bailey heard Mr. Odunlami was set up by a security guard at the event, Kavindu Hettiarachchi, who spotted the watch on his wrist and immediately tipped off Menzies and two other robbers.
Mr. Odunlami was attacked as he left the event at a restaurant near St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London on May 1, 2022.
Menzies stabbed him and left him for dead as the gang escaped with the watch, in a Mercedes car.
‘He Lost his Life Over Something He Had a Passion for’
In a victim impact statement, Mr. Odunlami’s partner and the mother of his two children, Rajbir Kaur said: “He lost his life over something he had a passion for. People should be allowed to wear freely what they earn with hard work.”She said of the gang: “They’re not sorry; they’re just sorry they were caught. What sickens most of us is the lack of remorse from the said security guard, whose primary responsibility to society is to protect members of the public.”
The insurer Aviva said it had seen a 43 percent rise in claims for luxury watches and other items of expensive jewellery and it warned people to be very discreet when wearing such items.
In a statement, Aviva said: “Opportunistic thieves can strike at any time. Be careful when posting or tagging locations on social media as this can attract unwanted attention from potential thieves.”
In Sep. 2022 rapper PnB Rock—real name Rakim Hasheem Allen—was shot and killed in a Los Angeles waffle house after a mugger spotted an Instagram post in which he had advertised his whereabouts. The killer shot him after demanding he handed over his jewellery.
Undercover Police Targeting Rolex Muggers
Last month the Metropolitan Police revealed it had used undercover officers as bait to catch gangs operating in central London and stealing luxury watches.They said the undercover operations had led to more than 20 convictions.
The Met said the robbers usually targeted Rolex and Patek Philippe watches, which retain a high value in second-hand markets.
In 2017 Danny Pearce, 31, was shot and stabbed to death as he walked home from a jazz club in Greenwich, south east London, with his girlfriend and another couple.
Jordan Bailey-Mascoll was caught and jailed for life for the murder but it took three years before he caught up with his accomplice, a moped mugger known as “Ghost.”
David Egan, 24, was also jailed for life.
The trial heard Mr. Pearce’s girlfriend, Stephanie Holland, threw her boyfriend’s Rolex at the pair but they killed him anyway.
On Friday, Watches of Switzerland revealed a dip in sales of luxury watches in the UK.
It said sales fell by 7 percent in the UK and Europe for the three months leading up to Jan. 2024.
The company said the cost-of-living crisis had forced many shoppers to choose between luxury items and clothes, make-up, restaurants and travel.
It said it was also making minimal returns from tourist spending because the government had scrapped VAT-free shopping for tourists a few years ago.
