Zine Telli, a 34‑year‑old former karate champion, was sentenced at the Old Bailey to 39 months in prison for two separate thefts in London. The convictions cover the June 2024 theft of a £70,000 Patek Philippe watch from Canadian Tim Hortons executive Axel Schwan in Mayfair, and the April 2023 robbery of a £2,618 MacBook Pro from a university student on Gloucester Road.

£70,000 Patek Philippe Aquanaut stolen on New Bond Street

On 30 June 2024, CCTV captured a thief in a cap snatching the luxury watch from Mr. Schwan’s wrist as he strolled with his wife along New Bond Street. The footage shows Telli loitering opposite the scene, while three other men, including Algerian Ahmed Djidi, executed the grab and fled on a Lime bike. according to the prosecution, the watch was a discontinued Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time valued at just under £70,000.

Mr. Schwan, the regional president of Tim Hortons, was left "profoundly emotionally impacted" and his holiday "completely soured," the court was told. Insurance later covered £28,000 of the loss, leaving the victim to absorb the remainder.

April 2023 MacBook Pro theft from a student on Gloucester Road

The earlier case involved a student dining at Fireaway Pizza on Gloucester Road, west London, who discovered her bag missing after the meal. CCTV identified Telli loitering, then re‑passing the bag with an associate before walking away with the MacBook Pro. The laptop, worth £2,618, contained critical coursework for the student’s final university assignment.

Prosecutor Gabriel Barnes noted that Telli was already under investigation for this theft when the Mayfair watch robbery occurred, highlighting a pattern of opportunistic crime.

Repeated bail breaches and international flight attempts

After his initial arrest in September 2024, Telli missed a pre‑trial hearing in May 2025, claiming he was abroad. He resurfaced at Gatwick Airport in March 2026, was granted bail , but then skipped another hearing that same month.. Police later re‑arrested him at the airport, finding £3,000 in cash and a small quantity of cocaine in his possession.

The judge, Usha Karu, emphasized Telli’s pattern of evading justice, noting his “lack of intention to appear before the court” and his prior life‑changing motorcycle accident in 2021 that led to drug and alcohol misuse,as outlined by defence counsel Jeffrey Israel.

Who else was involved and what sentences were handed down?

Ahmed Djidi, 26, the Algerian accomplice seen in the Mayfair footage, received a 22‑month sentence in November for his role in the watch theft. Telli’s sentence of 39 months reflects his participation in both crimes and his repeated bail violations.

He is now detained at HMP Wandsworth, while the stolen watch remains unrecovered. the case underscores the challenges of prosecuting organized street‑level thefts that employ modern communication tools like AirPods.

What remains unclear about the gang’s coordination?

The court heard that the thieves used AirPods to coordinate, but details about the broader network, including any additional members or the source of the stolen watch, were not disclosed. Moreover, the exact role Telli played—whether as a lookout , communicator, or active participant—remains a point of contention, as his defence argued he was merely an accessory.