Two men have been convicted of robbing boxer Amir Khan at gunpoint for his £70,000 watch last year
Dante Campbell, 20, and Ahmed Bana, 25, pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to rob and possession of an imitation firearm.
The robbery occurred when Mr Khan and his wife left a restaurant in Leyton, around 9.10pm on April 18, 2022.
As the couple crossed the road to their car they were approached by Campbell, who pointed a gun in the boxer’s face and shouted ‘take off the watch’.
He then fled the scene in a silver Mercedes driven by Bana which had pulled in front of Mr Khan’s car just moments before the attack.
Officers from the Met’s Flying Squad launched an investigation into the robbery, and used CCTV footage to identify the car as being insured to Bana.
Through him, they were also able to identify Dante Campbell as the man who had carried out the gunpoint robbery.
The pair were arrested as part of a planned operation in the early hours of June 22 last year.
Officers later found clothing and a backpack matching that worn by the gunman in Campbell’s bedroom.
Two other men were arrested on suspicion of acting as ‘spotters’ and dining in the restaurant to keep track of Mr Khan’s movements, but were acquitted by a jury at east London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday.
One man, Hamza Kulane, remains wanted in connection with the robbery.
During a previous hearing, Mr Khan told the court: ‘I am a sportsman, a fighter. I have been put in the toughest situations but this is something different, this is really really scary,’ the 36-year-old told a court.
‘When he put the gun to my face I couldn’t recognise him because he had a mask on. I looked away because I didn’t want him to pull the trigger.’
Detective Constable Stuart Ponder, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said: ‘This robbery was carefully planned and executed by these individuals who knew exactly who they were targeting and what they were aiming for.
‘Despite being on a busy street with other members of the public close by, they had no qualms about brandishing a firearm and threatening Mr Khan with the most brazen and extreme level of violence.
‘We know every robbery has a significant impact on the victim and Mr Khan has spoken out about the impact this had, not only on him but his family.
‘That is why we are doing everything we can to target individuals who think they can get away with this type of behaviour, from extra patrols at known robbery hotspots and developing intelligence on those carrying out these crimes.
‘Anyone who is a victim of a robbery should report it as soon as possible – this helps us ascertain crucial forensic evidence to take these violent criminals off our streets.’
Cambell and Bana will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on a date to be set.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
