Footage exposes horror attack on Bridgerton star in London

News.com.au

2 days ago

Actress Genevieve Chenneour turned the tables on a notorious thief who tried to snatch her phone at a London coffee shop, dramatic footage shows.
Chenneour, who played Clara Livingston in the third season of Netflix's hit series Bridgerton, said on Wednesday that she was left with a concussion after prolific London thug Zacariah Boulares, 18, attacked her at a Joe & the Juice in London's ritzy Kensington neighbourhood.
Shocking footage obtained by The Post shows Chenneour, 27, confronting the convicted thief who snuck up behind her before snatching her phone on February 8.
Chenneour wasted no time springing into action after Boulares — dressed in all black with a navy baseball cap — pounced to grab her device.
The actress — a former Team GB artistic swimmer — put her arm out to block Boulares from leaving the premises, causing him to drop the phone on the floor.
'Crazy, watching the beginning of this footage, it gives me chills,' Chenneour wrote on her Instagram Story on Wednesday.
After sharing several other clips of the ordeal with her 15,000 followers on the platform, the actress added, 'Man I feel sick watching this.'
Another video showed her distressed Maltipoo pup during the physical brawl.
'My poor baby was screaming and barking. I now have a major issue with people touching me in front of him thanks to these c***s,' the Netflix star added.
Chenneour previously opened up about the distressing incident in an interview with the Daily Mail, saying the thug 'didn't expect' her to fight back.
'I was left with a concussion just before the Screen Actors Guild Awards and since then, I've felt constantly on edge,' she told the outlet.
'Even my dog was traumatised — now, if anyone touches me, he panics and tries to protect me. Getting a coffee shouldn't be something you need your wits about you for.'
'I'm so grateful to the staff at Joe & The Juice — they were incredible during the incident and when I went back to see them after,' she added.
Boulares has a long criminal record and previously served time for threatening to behead Welsh singer Aled Jones during a robbery in which he stole the singer's $23,000 Rolex in London.
The then-16-year-old was sentenced to 24 months in custody for the attack in October 2023 but was released early after serving just 14 months.
'London has become increasingly dangerous, and this cannot be normalised. I'm not just speaking for myself — I'm speaking for every person who's had enough.'
The Algerian national has since been involved in a series of criminal offences and has pleaded guilty to the attack on Chenneour, as well as the assault of another customer.
The Metropolitan Police had identified Boulares in surveillance footage from the attack. He will be sentenced on June 17.