Strand robber beat man unconscious before making off with £145,000 designer watch

A West End robber has been convicted for a merciless attack which left his victim unconscious.

He ‘befriended’ his 51-year-old target in The Strand before luring him down an alleyway after first managing to convince him to go to a nearby bar.

He made off with a £145,000 Patek Phillipe watch after the attack on Friday, January 21.

Lindell Angell, 32, of Amhurst Road, Hackney, was found guilty of robbery and possessing criminal property at Southwark Crown Court on Monday.

The court heard that the pair had drinks for two hours and swapped phone numbers before leaving to head home.

Angell convinced the victim to head down a dark side street towards Embankment Tube, where he then launched an unprovoked and violent attack, placing his victim in a chokehold and repeatedly punching him until he fell unconscious.

At this point Angell took the watch from his wrist, and made off.

A member of the public found the victim and called the London Ambulance Service. The victim was unconscious for several minutes and suffered facial fractures.

CCTV imagery and phone work were used to identify Angell, who was then the subject of a manhunt by the Proactive Robbery Team.

On February 6, he was found and arrested in a hotel room in Euston Road.

Further searches found a secure lock-up, hired out six days after the offence, where a large amount of cash was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Detective Constable Gemma Oganian, who led the investigation, said: “This was a brutal robbery which not only resulted in serious physical harm, but many months after the offence, the victim continues to recover from the psychological trauma.

“People should be able to walk the streets of London and not fear this type of crime.”

Prosecution counsel Sue Obeney, said: “Angell had purported to befriend the victim, spent a couple of hours in a pub, accepting his generosity, and finished by robbing and leaving him unconscious on the road. At every turn he denied responsibility for the robbery.”

Angell will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, January 13.

Pictured top: CCTV captures the moment just before Angell (on the right) pounced on his victim after the pair had left a nearby pub (Picture: The Met)