This is the dramatic moment a migrant mugger is arrested after his quick-thinking victim took a photo and showed it to police.
Sudanese refugee Hamdan Khowjsly held Ashley D’Souza at knifepoint and stole a gold chain worth £700 in London‘s Oxford Street.
But Mr D’Souza managed to take a photo of Khowjsly, 21, and he was caught walking along the street with his accomplice Mohammed Adam, 22, just minutes after the robbery.
In the clip two police officers are seen jumping out of a van and chase after Adam, while Khowjsly tries to discreetly walk away. But he is pushed up against a railing and arrested.
Both men needed Sudanese interpreters as they appeared at Southwark Crown Court and convicted of robbery and carrying a blade in a public place.
Prosecutor Sarah Memmi said the men robbed Mr D’Souza at around 2.30am on 26 July and said: ‘He felt someone violently grab the collar of his t-shirt.
‘He felt terrified, and felt if he fought back he would be attacked. As his attackers ran away, Mr D’Souza followed them, taking pictures on his phone.
‘Officers noticed [the defendants] a few minutes later, wearing balaclavas dark clothing and carrying carrier bags. They approached the two men as there had been reports of several robberies in the area.’
Sudanese refugee Hamdan Khowjsly (pictured), 21, held Ashley D’Souza at knifepoint and stole a gold chain worth £700 in London’s Oxford Street
Khowjsly was caught walking along the street with his accomplice Mohammed Adam (pictured), 22, just minutes after the robbery
Both men were searched and knives were found in their carrier bags.
The court heard how the chain – which also had an emerald stone set in it – was a sentimental and religious heirloom which meant a great deal to Mr D’Souza and has not been found.
In his victim impact statement, Mr DSouza said he was left ‘shaken’ by the theft.
Ms Memmi said: ‘He always enjoyed walking in London but this has made it question how safe it is to walk on the street.
‘He felt helpless and scared. He was screaming for help, nobody came despite there being lots of people in the street.
‘He found the incident ‘humiliating’, Ms Memmi said, and ‘in the days following he was getting flashbacks to getting grabbed from behind’.
Luna Spada, defending Adam, said he had had ‘a difficult childhood and traumatic upbringing’.
She told the court: ‘He arrived in the country in 2024, he got a five-year status to remain. He was shot at the age of 19, after that he lost his family effectively because of the war. He was homeless at the time, between 20 and 21 years old.’
Defending Khowjsly, Hannah Bentwood said: ‘He pleaded guilty, he accepts the offence. He has explained to me a very traumatic past.
‘When he was 12 years old his village in Sudan was attacked, he and his parents were effectively kidnapped and tortured and his mother was killed in front of his eyes.
‘He was able to escape and aged 16 he fled to this country alone via Libya.
‘He was sharing in a shared accommodation provided by social services until he was 20 at which point he received council accommodation.
‘He has expressed that he feels remorse from these offences.
‘He knows he made a mistake and he would never do such a thing again.’
Judge Adam Hiddleston questioned the ‘traumatic pasts’ and the effect on the crimes they committed, saying they were ‘potentially irrelevant’.
Judge Hiddleston said: ‘It was a premeditated and violent robbery of a victim’s neck chain involving the brandishing of a large kitchen knife in the early hours of the 26 July last year.
‘Your victim was clearly terrified by what you did to him.
‘The experience continues to have a seriously detrimental effect upon him.
‘You sought to conceal your identities by the use of balaclavas.
‘The item that you stole was of some considerable value to your victim both from a financial as well as a sentimental perspective.
‘You are both of previous good character, and I have taken this into account as I have your backgrounds.’
In the clip two police officers are seen jumping out of a van and chase after Adam, while Khowjsly tries to discreetly walk away. But he is pushed up against a railing and arrested
They were both jailed for a total of 52 months for the robbery.
Detective Constable Emily Blatchford, who led the investigation, said: ‘Quick work by Met officers meant Adam and Khowjsly were in handcuffs within minutes of committing the offence.
‘We know that thefts like this remain a key concern to those who live, work or visit the West End. We’re committed to tackling it head-on by strengthening our neighbourhood policing teams to make sure officers are out on the streets – where they’re most needed.’
