A thief from West London who strangled an undercover police officer wearing a luxury watch has been jailed. Abdi-Rahman Khaliif-Ali, of Ealing, violently grabbed his target’s neck from behind as they approached a set of stairs, leaving the man with a swollen lip, swelling and cuts to his face.
The 26-year-old had followed the officer and offered to guide him to the nearest station, later insisting Covent Garden was in fact Tottenham Court Road in an attempt to confuse the man. He continuously asserted they were “not far” from their destination.
Unbeknownst to Khaliif-Ali, his target was part of an undercover sting investigating street robberies of high-value watches in London. When the officer then asked to be directed towards Soho’s Wardour Street he again was followed.
The thief then made his move, striking his victim and throttling him in a failed attempt to make off with the watch. He was arrested when another police officer arrived to help his injured colleague.
Khaliif-Ali, who was on licence at the time of the attack, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rob and intentional strangulation at a plea hearing in January. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of four years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court yesterday (June 25).
Claire Campbell, a Senior Crown Prosecutor within the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was a sustained and serious attack from a violent individual determined to steal the victim’s watch by any means necessary.
“This would have been a terrifying experience for the victim, despite being a trained undercover police officer who was protecting the streets of our capital. It is deeply concerning to think about what the consequences might have been if this happened to a member of the public.
“Khaliif-Ali will now be behind bars for a significant period of time.”
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