Man jailed for stealing £3k watch at Southampton train station
He snatched the luxury item from a victim's wrist
A man who grabbed a £3,000 luxury watch from a man's wrist during a robbery at a Southampton train station has been jailed for two and a half years.
Southampton Crown Court heard how Wassim Zenil targeted his victim on a train service travelling into Southampton Airport Parkway station in April.
He pulled the item off of his wrist, breaking the strap.
The victim called out for help and an off-duty City of London police officer responded, getting the train held at the station and taking down information on Zenil from the victim.
The officer and victim walked through the train to find Zenil, when the victim spotted a locked toilet and asked nearby passengers who had gone inside. The officer knocked on the door, and Zenil opened it.
Zenil was detained by the off-duty officer and arrested on suspicion of robbery after the watch was found on him but began to resist, injuring the officer.
A member of the public assisted the officer in restraining Zenil and was bit on the hand. Officers then arrived and took Zenil into custody.
Zenil, who is 28 and of Haseley Road in Birmingham, was handed a 30-month sentence on December 16th after previously pleading guilty to one count of robbery.
Investigating Officer DC Ryan Smith from British Transport Police said:
"I want to thank the off-duty officer and the members of the public who assisted in the capture of Zenil, helping to take one more violent criminal off of the network.
"Zenil acted violently and with cruelty, targeting a lone passenger for his own gain and I am extremely pleased with the sentence handed down."