{"id":460895,"date":"2026-03-06T15:07:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T15:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/460895\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T15:07:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T15:07:11","slug":"bbc-breakfast-star-left-scarred-as-7k-rolex-stolen-by-thieves-who-also-targeted-pal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/460895\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC Breakfast star left scarred as \u00a37k Rolex stolen by thieves who also targeted pal"},"content":{"rendered":"

BBC Breakfast presenter Ben Thompson has been left scarred after a gang targeted him and a friend in London for their expensive watches<\/p>\n

08:09, 06 Mar 2026Updated 12:22, 06 Mar 2026<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Ben Thompson was robbed(Image: BBC)<\/p>\n

BBC Breakfast\u2019s Ben Thompson reveals he no longer feels safe in London after being attacked on the streets for his \u00a37k watch. The presenter was on his way home from a restaurant in Mayfair when he and his friend Roja Dove were grabbed by a group of six men. Dove was thrown to the ground and had his \u00a3150k diamond-encrusted Patek Philippe watch stolen, while the group grabbed Thompson and forcibly removed his \u00a37k piece.<\/p>\n

In a victim impact statement read out as two of the gang were jailed this week, Thompson admitted his behaviour has changed since the incident. The former Middle East correspondent added: “I am nervous and jumpy when I hear a jogger or cyclist approaching behind me.”<\/p>\n

A judge has since jailed Hocine Boulanouar, 26, and Danis Tom-Deter, 36, for their part in the crime. Boulanouar received a sentence of four years and three months, while Tom-Deter was jailed for two years and nine months.<\/p>\n

It comes after Hollywood icon Tom Cruise reportedly upped and left his \u00a335m Knightsbridge flat after an armed raid on a Rolex store left him feeling unsafe in London. A gang raid on a Bucherer store below his building saw six armed robbers make off with thousands of pounds worth of watches.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hocine Boulanouar 26, was identified by CCTV<\/p>\n

\"Danis<\/p>\n

Danis Tom-Deter admitted his part in the theft<\/p>\n

A source told Daily Mail at the time: \u201cThe over-aggressive attack on the store below cemented the lack of security surrounding the multi-million-pound flats where Cruise lives. “He often loved to take a walk around the area but it seems like Knightsbridge is becoming less safe by the week. He just felt the area has declined in the past year or two.”<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s watch was a specially engraved 40th birthday present from his partner, Andy Roche. The theft has left him with a scar where it was ripped from his wrist.<\/p>\n

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As the case was heard at the Old Bailey, it’s said Thompson and Dove were watched leaving Cecconi’s restaurant in Burlington Gardens, by a “spotter”. CCTV later identified two of the group as Boulanouar and Tom-Deter.<\/p>\n

Dove, 69, said: “I have worked hard for everything I have. The watch was a present to myself when I reached the age of 65. The theft of the watch has meant all my hard work has been pointless.”<\/p>\n

Like Thompson, Dove admitted the incident has left him shaken on the streets of London. “I feel like my day-to-day behaviour has completely altered, especially when I am in London,” he confirmed.<\/p>\n

Boulanouar had denied any involvement and claimed her wasn’t in the area at the time, despite the CCTV footage. Tom-Deter admitted his role in the theft and was jailed for two years and nine months.<\/p>\n

\"Naga<\/p>\n

Ben Thompson and Naga Munchetty on BBC Breakfast(Image: BBC)<\/p>\n

“When I walk through the streets of central London I feel like I am on high alert and I am very nervous. I feel very unsafe in London, a city I have loved my entire life.”<\/p>\n

Sentencing Boulanouar and Tom-Deter, the judge said: “This was clearly a very frightening experience on the streets of central London at night. They were set upon and each man was held while their watches were dragged off their wrists.”<\/p>\n

Boulanouar had denied any involvement and claimed her wasn’t in the area at the time, despite the CCTV footage. Tom-Deter admitted his role in the theft.<\/p>\n

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