LONDON, ENGLAND - A watch thief who targeted an undercover police officer wearing a luxury Rolex has been sentenced to jail for life.
On Wednesday, June 25th, Abdi-Rahman Khaliif-Ali, 26, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of four years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court, according to a press release from the Crown Prosecution Service. At a plea hearing in January, he pleaded guilty to assault with the intent to rob and, intentional strangulation.
The officer that was attacked was part of an undercover sting operation that was investigating street robberies that target high-value watches in London. The victim was followed by Khaliif-Ali, who offered to take him to the nearest train station.
They arrived at Covent Garden station, which Khaliif-Ali told the undercover cop was Tottenham Court Road station. Khaliif-Ali, who was on parole at the time of the attack, kept telling the undercover cop they were "not far" from their destination. After asking Khaliif-Ali to direct him to Wardour Street, the undercover cop noticed that he was looking at and speaking about his watch.
When the two of them approached a set of stairs, Khaliif-Ali attacked the undercover cop. A homeless man tried to intervene and a female officer was punched in the face while she detained Khaliif-Ahi, the Sun reported. The attack left the undercover cop with a swollen lip, swelling and cuts to his face. After another police officer arrived on scene, Khaliif-Ali was arrested.
"I felt safer at a terrorist attack than I did during the incident," the undercover cop, who helped victims of the 2017 London Bridge attacks, said. "I realized I was on my own and fighting for my life."
"This was a sustained and serious attack from a violent individual determined to steal the victim's watch by any means necessary," Claire Campbell of the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement. "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," Campbell added. "Khaliif-Ali will now be behind bars for a significant period of time. The CPS will continue to work with and support our police partners who are playing a vital role in tackling the issue of watch thefts in London."
Khaliif-Ali is known to have a gambling problem and is also a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. In 2018, he had been detained under the Mental Health Act for wounding with intent. During the sentencing, Judge Justin Cole told him, "I'm in no doubt that you are dangerous."
On Wednesday, June 25th, Abdi-Rahman Khaliif-Ali, 26, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of four years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court, according to a press release from the Crown Prosecution Service. At a plea hearing in January, he pleaded guilty to assault with the intent to rob and, intentional strangulation.
The officer that was attacked was part of an undercover sting operation that was investigating street robberies that target high-value watches in London. The victim was followed by Khaliif-Ali, who offered to take him to the nearest train station.
They arrived at Covent Garden station, which Khaliif-Ali told the undercover cop was Tottenham Court Road station. Khaliif-Ali, who was on parole at the time of the attack, kept telling the undercover cop they were "not far" from their destination. After asking Khaliif-Ali to direct him to Wardour Street, the undercover cop noticed that he was looking at and speaking about his watch.
When the two of them approached a set of stairs, Khaliif-Ali attacked the undercover cop. A homeless man tried to intervene and a female officer was punched in the face while she detained Khaliif-Ahi, the Sun reported. The attack left the undercover cop with a swollen lip, swelling and cuts to his face. After another police officer arrived on scene, Khaliif-Ali was arrested.
"I felt safer at a terrorist attack than I did during the incident," the undercover cop, who helped victims of the 2017 London Bridge attacks, said. "I realized I was on my own and fighting for my life."
"This was a sustained and serious attack from a violent individual determined to steal the victim's watch by any means necessary," Claire Campbell of the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement. "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," Campbell added. "Khaliif-Ali will now be behind bars for a significant period of time. The CPS will continue to work with and support our police partners who are playing a vital role in tackling the issue of watch thefts in London."
Khaliif-Ali is known to have a gambling problem and is also a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. In 2018, he had been detained under the Mental Health Act for wounding with intent. During the sentencing, Judge Justin Cole told him, "I'm in no doubt that you are dangerous."
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