A 58-year-old man has admitted stabbing a Saudi national during a bungled late-night robbery in Mayfair, after targeting a backpack containing a Rolex watch in one of London’s most exclusive squares.
Ivan Stringer, 58, from Willesden Green in north-west London, attacked Thamer Alqarawi with a knife in Berkeley Square on the evening of 3 September, attempting to snatch the backpack, which held the luxury watch alongside a pair of AirPods and a mobile phone.
The stabbing happened just after 9.30pm. Mr Alqarawi, who is in his 40s, was taken to hospital for treatment, and the Metropolitan Police later confirmed his injuries were not life-threatening.
The robbery failed: Stringer fled the square empty-handed. Officers caught up with him a short time later in nearby Park Lane, where prosecutors say he was carrying two knives when detained — a claim he disputed as he entered his pleas, insisting: “There was only one knife.”
Appearing in the dock at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, Stringer pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, attempted robbery and possession of a bladed article.
He admitted deliberately causing serious injury with a weapon, trying to rob his victim, and carrying a blade in a public place. Wounding with intent carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, reflecting the gravity with which the courts treat knife attacks.
With the pleas entered, the case was adjourned until 9 October. Stringer, who has been remanded in custody since he was charged, will remain behind bars in the meantime.
Berkeley Square, with its celebrated plane trees and grand Georgian townhouses, is among the most recognisable addresses in Mayfair — and sits a short walk from the jewellers and watch boutiques of Bond Street and the five-star hotels lining Piccadilly. That mix of wealth and late-night footfall has repeatedly made the district a hunting ground for thieves targeting high-value timepieces.
Expensive watches are an obvious prize for street robbers: they are worn in plain sight, hold their value and are easy to carry away. Rolex watches are among the most recognisable luxury timepieces in the world, and sought-after models can change hands for tens of thousands of pounds on the second-hand market. Offenders often strike late at night, when streets are quieter and victims easier to isolate — a pattern that has become familiar in crime reports from the West End in recent years.
It is the latest in a series of such incidents in the capital. Last month, British Transport Police stepped up patrols at King’s Cross and St Pancras following a string of luxury luggage thefts, while in September a Mayfair members’ club was temporarily closed after a weapon alert as police launched an investigation. Small electronics are a frequent target too: three men were recently jailed for a combined 25 years for running the UK’s biggest stolen mobile phone smuggling network.
The case is a reminder of the precautions worth taking when carrying valuables in the capital: keep expensive watches and jewellery out of sight where possible, particularly late at night; stay alert in quieter streets and avoid poorly lit cut-throughs; keep bags zipped and held close to the body; and if confronted by a robber, do not resist — belongings can be replaced. Consider leaving expensive watches at home or in a hotel safe when heading out late at night in unfamiliar areas. If you witness a robbery in progress, note descriptions from a safe distance and call 999 rather than intervening yourself. Anyone who is robbed should call the police as soon as it is safe to do so, and noting down serial numbers can help officers trace stolen watches and return them to their owners.
Stringer will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on 9 October.
