This is the moment a tourist had his £6,000 watch snatched by an Algerian migrant just five hours after he touched down in London.
Swedish author Benny Holmberg was targeted by asylum seeker Ismail Ladjali for his Hublot timepiece on April 6 last year.
The 29-year-old was arrested four months later, on August 5, after he was found under a lorry headed to France with several watches in his possession.
In the CCTV footage, Ladjali, who was wearing a cap, can be seen grabbing Mr Holmberg's wrist before snatching his watch.
He then turns around and sprints back down the street as his victim tries to follow him.
The Swedish author had been sitting outside a shopping centre enjoying a drink with his wife and two friends before he was targeted just after 3pm.
Ladjali was identified as the robber after he dropped his hat at the scene of the robbery, which contained traces of his DNA.
This is the moment a tourist had his watch snatched by an Algerian migrant just five hours after he touched down in London
Asylum seeker Ismail Ladjali was arrested after he was found under a lorry headed to France with several watches in his possession
In the CCTV footage, Ladjali can be seen grabbing Mr Holmberg's wrist before snatching his watch and running down the street
Southwark Crown Court heard he tried to claim he needed the money from the watch to pay for his mother's cancer medication.
Ladjali appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court today wearing a grey, prison-issue jumper. He was aided by an Arabic interpreter.
He admitted robbing Mr Holmberg five days before his trial was due to take place, having earlier admitted to the separate offence of cocaine possession.
Defence counsel Colin Campbell told the court the robbery was a 'spur of the moment thing', adding: 'I think it is a stretch to say there was any planning.'
But prosecutor Carol Summers said: 'There must have been some sort of identification with this victim.
'At 3.10pm in the afternoon Mr Holmberg was sitting outside West One shopping centre off Oxford Street having a drink with his wife and two friends.
'He felt someone holding his left wrist. He thought it was his wife, but instead it was the defendant.
'He said the action felt quite hard and he noticed his watch was removed.'
Mr Holmberg (pictured) had been sitting outside a shopping centre enjoying a drink with his wife and two friends before he was targeted just after 3pm
She added the aggravating features include this being a robbery in 'broad daylight in central London' as well as the 'high value' of the £6,050 watch Ladjali stole.
Judge Gregory Perrins jailed the Algerian for 20 months and said he can expect to be deported after serving 40 per cent of his sentence.
He said Ladjali had arrived in the UK in 2021 before overstaying his visa with 'no legitimate source of income'.
Passing sentence, Judge Perrins said: 'I watched the CCTV footage of the robbery, you obviously knew it was an expensive watch which is why you robbed him.
'You grabbed his wrist and very forcefully removed his watch.
'You planned it, knew what you were looking for, and knew how to steal it quickly.'
The judge continued: 'I have seen no evidence that you were buying medication for your mother and said he had probably been spending the money on cocaine for himself.
He added that despite Ladjali claiming to express remorse, neither he nor the probation service accepted this was genuine.
