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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
London's mugging hotspots revealed: Interactive map shows where you're most likely to be targeted by thieves in the Sadiq Khan's lawless city
The places where you are most likely to be mugged in London can today be revealed as a crime wave continues to grip Sadiq Khan 's lawless capital city. Unsuspecting tourists and locals alike are being targeted by gangs of thieves grabbing expensive watches off people's wrists. Yobs on e-bikes have been also caught on camera violently snatching phones out of people's hands as they walk down the capital's streets. Some of the recent victims of muggings in London include Bridgerton 's Genevieve Chenneour, Loose Women 's Christine Lampard and Jenson Button's wife Brittny. Now, MailOnline can reveal that London's most exclusive postcodes make up the worst hotspots for muggings. As shown in the interactive map below, Fitzrovia West and Soho in central London has seen some of the highest rates of robberies of individuals in the past year. In one area that covers both Oxford Street and Shaftesbury Avenue, a total of 508 muggings were reported to police in the year to June 2025. Another 499 robberies of individuals were recorded in the area including Regent Street, New Bond Street and sections of Oxford Street in the same time period. The areas around the Strand, Leicester Square, St James and Mayfair also saw very high levels of violent thefts, according to the data released by the Met Police. One zone, which includes popular tourist hotspots Leicester Square and Covent Garden, saw 370 muggings between last June and this summer. Another in the area around Buckingham Palace, the Mall and Picadilly Circus saw 251 violent thefts, police have said. It comes as a number of celebrities have revealed they have fallen victim to prolific thieves and muggers causing terror across the capital. Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour, 27, was targeted by a prolific teenage criminal who grabbed her phone in a Joe & The Juice in Kensington in February. Zacariah Boulares, 18, was jailed for just 22 months after snuck up behind actress but she bravely fought back, dragging him to the floor with the help of her boyfriend. She said she thought she was going to die after the thug threatened to stab her. Moreover 18 months before the attack, Boulares had targeted another celebrity victim. The then 16-year-old threatened to behead Aled Jones with a 20in machete as he stole his £17,000 Rolex Daytona in Chiswick, west London. The thief was locked up for the attack but only served 14 months of his 24-month sentence before being released back onto the streets. There was also outrage earlier this year after veteran broadcaster Selina Scott, 74, revealed she was viciously attacked and robbed in broad daylight in Piccadilly. The stalwart of British TV was leaving a Waterstones shop on June 17 when she was struck on the back of her right knee, leaving her feeling as if she had been 'stabbed'. She was set upon by a gang who attempted to grab her backpack. Fighting back, she kept hold of the bag – but one of the thieves unzipped it and took her purse before running off. Ms Scott lost her bank cards, driving licence and cash in the robbery. Furthermore in June, three 'Rolex rippers' who beat up their victims in central London before grabbing expensive watches were jailed for a total of 30 years. Tedros Haile, 35, Mahad Jammeh, 24, and Christian Whittingham, 27, carried out a series of attacks on the streets of Mayfair and the West End on June 25 last year. The trio targeted Michail Rivas outside the Rolls Royce showroom in Stratton Street as they surrounded him after jumping out of a white BMW wearing face coverings. They grabbed Mr Rivas' Mido Baroncelli Moonphase Chronograph worth £1,000 and quickly made off in the getaway car. Later that night the thieves targeted Mark Jackson and Oliver Wragg in Brewer Street. Both were wearing short sleeved tops and expensive looking watches after a night out watching football. Mr Jackson felt a hard object hit him behind his head then was hit with multiple full force fist punches. Statistics published by MailOnline last year revealed that muggings in London's West End tripled in just 24 months. Figures show the number of thefts from a person in the area around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square increased to 2,806 in 2023, compared to 796 in 2021. On Tuesday, Sir Sadiq Khan announced policing blitz on London's 20 most troubled town centres, specifically for shoplifting, robbery, knife crime and anti-social behaviour. His Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said: 'The safety of our town centres is more than just policing – it's about building stronger, more connected communities where everyone feels secure. 'Across our city there will be partnership led operations to tackle shoplifting and clear, visible neighbourhood officers out on patrol, keeping our communities safe and working to build safer town centres and a safer London for everyone'. Moped and e-bike gangs have been identified as prolific culprits. It comes as MailOnline last week also revealed the worst streets for mobile phone theft in London's West End. Nearly 18 devices are being snatched on Oxford Street each day - with a total 6,539 reports of devices being stolen last year. Shaftsbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road in the theatre district were third and fourth with 1,032 and 946 respectively between January and December 2024. Completing the top ten were Wardour Street on 929, Greek Street on 623, Piccadilly on 591, Old Compton Street on 507, Strand on 494 and Leicester Square on 455. Phone theft has become an epidemic in London, hitting a record level last year – with the number of devices snatched more than tripling in four years. Some 70,137 phones were reported stolen to the Met in the capital in 2024, up by nearly 40 per cent from 52,428 in 2023. As recently as 2020, the figure was 20,000. Susan Hall AM, leader of the City Hall Conservative Group, told MailOnline: '6,539 thefts on Oxford Street alone is obscene. 'With the prospect of pedestrianisation looming, I've spoken to residents in Westminster who are horrified at how police cuts and pedestrianisation will only exacerbate this. 'For God's sake, Sadiq - get a grip on this and actually put the welfare of the public first. His inaction is rapidly making the West End more and more lawless.' Her Tory colleague Neil Garratt, who wrote the Tackling London's Theft Epidemic report earlier this year, added: 'These figures are shocking but not surprising. 'In February, my report into London's spiralling phone theft epidemic showed exactly how the Mayor can get a grip, but he refuses. 'Instead, he sits back blaming the phone companies while Londoners and visitors to our great city fear to take out their phone. This problem is solvable, so I am urging him, again, to take action now.'
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE London's mugging hotspots revealed: Interactive map shows where you're most likely to be targeted by thieves in the Sadiq Khan's lawless city
The places where you are most likely to be mugged in London can today be revealed as a crime wave continues to grip Sadiq Khan 's lawless capital city. Unsuspecting tourists and locals alike are being targeted by gangs of thieves grabbing expensive watches off people's wrists. Yobs on e-bikes have been also caught on camera violently snatching phones out of people's hands as they walk down the capital's streets. Some of the recent victims of muggings in London include Bridgerton 's Genevieve Chenneour, Loose Women 's Christine Lampard and Jenson Button's wife Brittny. Now, MailOnline can reveal that London's most exclusive postcodes make up the worst hotspots for muggings. As shown in the interactive map below, Fitzrovia West and Soho in central London has seen some of the highest rates of robberies of individuals in the past year. In one area that covers both Oxford Street and Shaftesbury Avenue, a total of 508 muggings were reported to police in the year to June 2025. Another 499 robberies of individuals were recorded in the area including Regent Street, New Bond Street and sections of Oxford Street in the same time period. The areas around the Strand, Leicester Square, St James and Mayfair also saw very high levels of violent thefts, according to the data released by the Met Police. One zone, which includes popular tourist hotspots Leicester Square and Covent Garden, saw 370 muggings between last June and this summer. Another in the area around Buckingham Palace, the Mall and Picadilly Circus saw 251 violent thefts, police have said. It comes as a number of celebrities have revealed they have fallen victim to prolific thieves and muggers causing terror across the capital. Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour, 27, was targeted by a prolific teenage criminal who grabbed her phone in a Joe & The Juice in Kensington in February. Zacariah Boulares, 18, was jailed for just 22 months after snuck up behind actress but she bravely fought back, dragging him to the floor with the help of her boyfriend. She said she thought she was going to die after the thug threatened to stab her. Moreover 18 months before the attack, Boulares had targeted another celebrity victim. The then 16-year-old threatened to behead Aled Jones with a 20in machete as he stole his £17,000 Rolex Daytona in Chiswick, west London. The thief was locked up for the attack but only served 14 months of his 24-month sentence before being released back onto the streets. There was also outrage earlier this year after veteran broadcaster Selina Scott, 74, revealed she was viciously attacked and robbed in broad daylight in Piccadilly. The stalwart of British TV was leaving a Waterstones shop on June 17 when she was struck on the back of her right knee, leaving her feeling as if she had been 'stabbed'. She was set upon by a gang who attempted to grab her backpack. Fighting back, she kept hold of the bag – but one of the thieves unzipped it and took her purse before running off. Ms Scott lost her bank cards, driving licence and cash in the robbery. Furthermore in June, three 'Rolex rippers' who beat up their victims in central London before grabbing expensive watches were jailed for a total of 30 years. Tedros Haile, 35, Mahad Jammeh, 24, and Christian Whittingham, 27, carried out a series of attacks on the streets of Mayfair and the West End on June 25 last year. The trio targeted Michail Rivas outside the Rolls Royce showroom in Stratton Street as they surrounded him after jumping out of a white BMW wearing face coverings. They grabbed Mr Rivas' Mido Baroncelli Moonphase Chronograph worth £1,000 and quickly made off in the getaway car. Later that night the thieves targeted Mark Jackson and Oliver Wragg in Brewer Street. Both were wearing short sleeved tops and expensive looking watches after a night out watching football. Mr Jackson felt a hard object hit him behind his head then was hit with multiple full force fist punches. Statistics published by MailOnline last year revealed that muggings in London's West End tripled in just 24 months. Figures show the number of thefts from a person in the area around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square increased to 2,806 in 2023, compared to 796 in 2021. On Tuesday, Sir Sadiq Khan announced policing blitz on London's 20 most troubled town centres, specifically for shoplifting, robbery, knife crime and anti-social behaviour. His Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said: 'The safety of our town centres is more than just policing – it's about building stronger, more connected communities where everyone feels secure. 'Across our city there will be partnership led operations to tackle shoplifting and clear, visible neighbourhood officers out on patrol, keeping our communities safe and working to build safer town centres and a safer London for everyone'. Moped and e-bike gangs have been identified as prolific culprits. It comes as MailOnline last week also revealed the worst streets for mobile phone theft in London's West End. Nearly 18 devices are being snatched on Oxford Street each day - with a total 6,539 reports of devices being stolen last year. Shaftsbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road in the theatre district were third and fourth with 1,032 and 946 respectively between January and December 2024. Completing the top ten were Wardour Street on 929, Greek Street on 623, Piccadilly on 591, Old Compton Street on 507, Strand on 494 and Leicester Square on 455. Phone theft has become an epidemic in London, hitting a record level last year – with the number of devices snatched more than tripling in four years. Some 70,137 phones were reported stolen to the Met in the capital in 2024, up by nearly 40 per cent from 52,428 in 2023. As recently as 2020, the figure was 20,000. Susan Hall AM, leader of the City Hall Conservative Group, told MailOnline: '6,539 thefts on Oxford Street alone is obscene. 'With the prospect of pedestrianisation looming, I've spoken to residents in Westminster who are horrified at how police cuts and pedestrianisation will only exacerbate this. 'For God's sake, Sadiq - get a grip on this and actually put the welfare of the public first. His inaction is rapidly making the West End more and more lawless.' Her Tory colleague Neil Garratt, who wrote the Tackling London's Theft Epidemic report earlier this year, added: 'These figures are shocking but not surprising. 'In February, my report into London's spiralling phone theft epidemic showed exactly how the Mayor can get a grip, but he refuses. 'Instead, he sits back blaming the phone companies while Londoners and visitors to our great city fear to take out their phone. This problem is solvable, so I am urging him, again, to take action now.'
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
I'm terrified my attacker will seek revenge when he gets out of prison and am wracked with anxiety, admits Bridgerton star driven from London by phone thief
Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour has confessed that she's terrified her attacker will seek revenge when he gets out of prison and is cracked with anxiety. The actress, 27, appeared on Thursday's episode of This Morning to talk about the incident after the thief that tried to steal her phone was jailed for 22 months on Tuesday despite embarking on a 'ruthless' spree of thefts. Genevieve was targeted by Zacariah Boulares, 18, at a Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street, west London, while she was walking her dog on February 8. Presenter Cat Deeley, 48, asked her: 'Does it worry you that the sentence is so short and he knows you were his victim and you have spoken out against him?' Genevieve said: 'Yeah that's definitely an anxiety I have and something I didn't think about. 'He's meant to be going, well they are considering behavioral agreement in some way. The actress, 27, appeared on Thursday's episode of This Morning to talk about the incident after the thief that tried to steal her phone was jailed for 22 months on Tuesday despite embarking on a 'ruthless' spree of thefts 'So he wont be able to access certain parts in London, and will be monitored and it could potentially be lifetime. 'So that would protect me and anybody else that he has harassed.' Host Ben Shephard, 50, asked: 'What has the lasting impact been on you?' To which Genevieve replied: 'A lot of anxiety... 'I left London because I am single and the level of anxiety of going to public spaces was just not really sustainable. 'I decided to take some time out of the city and come back and forwards for work.' After the thief got his hands on her phone, the TV star decided to bravely fight back and Ben was interested to know if in hindsight she thought now if she should have just let him take the device. Genevieve said: 'I didn't choose to respond like that. 'Obviously there is fight or flight and so I blacked out and don't actually remember my reaction. 'When I watched it back... I was like "I did that? What?!" 'So it was just an instinct to me, I just don't think I could have reacted any differently. 'I'm impressed with myself I did react like that. 'But yeah it definitely means that I have the additional trauma of getting into physical fight with someone who has been seen walking around with a machete. 'It's terrifying for me. Maybe I should have given him my phone, but that was just my reaction.' Back in June the star appeared on the ITV show to talk about the ordeal. Genevieve explained: 'It kind of went round the corner and it turned into a full-on scrap with two people [Boulares and his accomplice]. 'And I was threatened with being stabbed so it became a real matter, in my mind, of life and death. 'So, I did things like, I remember kicking him back with my leg to create space in case he had a weapon on him… It was just a life-changing, crazy moment.' The star admitted the horrifying experience left her terrified in the immediate aftermath: 'I didn't want to go outside. 'I mean as a woman we already, I think, have our wits about us around strangers and random men. 'So, to have this happen to me while dealing with that base level that a lot of women have, just made me quite agoraphobic. Leaving the house was really hard.' Genevieve has played Miss Clara Livingston in Bridgerton since 2024. She has also starred in Trigonometry, Avene 5, Britiannia and The Gentleman. Not only that, she's appeared in various films. Some include Munich – The Edge of War, Phantom of the Open and 1242: Gateway to the West. She's also been in a number of music videos for Callum Scott, Fredo and The Magic Gang. This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Bridgerton star who was targeted for her mobile phone by thug says she has LEFT London and moved back in with her mother because she 'doesn't feel safe'
The Bridgerton star who had her mobile phone grabbed by a thug has revealed she has left London and moved back in with her mother. Genevieve Chenneour, 27, admitted she 'doesn't feel safe' in the capital anymore after being targeted by thief Zacariah Boulares, 18, at a Joe & The Juice while she was walking her dog on February 8. The prolific teenage criminal was jailed for just 22 months on Tuesday despite embarking on a 'ruthless' spree of thefts. Boulares was scolded by the judge as he put his middle finger up at members of the public gallery before being taken down to the police cells at Isleworth Crown Court. MailOnline previously revealed CCTV of the moment Ms Chenneour bravely fought back against the thief and dragged him to the floor with the help of her boyfriend at the time, Carlo Kureishi, 30, the son of the writer Hanif Kureishi. Ms Chenneour, who before acting was on Team GB 's synchronised swimming team and later became a trained boxer, revealed how she thought she was going to die after the thug threatened to stab her. And the actress explained to LBC that she has moved out of London following the distressing incident. She said: 'The level of anxiety putting myself even in a public space now is pretty awful. I've left London. 'I don't feel comfortable living in London at the moment. Had this happened two years earlier, when I was just getting my career going, this could have been the end of my career, because you have to be in town for meetings and available all the time. 'There was a new study, wasn't that women feel extremely unsafe on the streets. And I was quite shocked to see that it said most women, almost every woman that I've met, feels on edge in London walking around.' Ms Chenneour added that she has recently been experiencing terrifying lucid dreams, featuring someone attempting to steal something from her, which result in her waking up, palms sweating. She revealed her plans to see a trauma therapist but explained she has a job on her hands stopping her dog from biting everyone who touches her. The actress expressed concerns over the length of Boulares's prison stay following the theft on Kensington High Street, admitting she worries what will happen when he is realeased. Around 18 months earlier, Boulares had targeted another celebrity victim when he threatened to behead Aled Jones with a 20in machete as he stole his £17,000 Rolex Daytona in Chiswick, west London. The thief, then 16, was locked up for his attack on the Welsh singer in October 2023 but only served 14 months of his 24-month sentence before being released back onto the streets. Boulares, who was named and pictured after turning 18 in February, has continued to wreak havoc on Londoners, including robbing rising star Ms Chenneour, who plays rumour-monger Clara Livingston in hit Netflix period drama Bridgerton. Isleworth Crown Court heard how detectives were able to catch Boulares after arresting him - on his 18th birthday - for stealing a backpack from a blind couple who were dining at a Five Guys in Kensington with their 10-year-old son on February 18. Police were then able to identify him as the perpetrator for the theft of Ms Chenneour on February 8 and stealing a handbag at a Pizza Pilgrims restaurant in London's West End on January 30. Stern-faced Boulares sat with his arms crossed as he appeared in the dock with a long black ponytail and grey prison tracksuit on, where he was jailed for the three thefts across London and the common assault of Mr Kureishi. He was sentenced to five months for the Pizza Pilgrims theft, seven months for the Joe & The Juice theft, four months for the common assault and six months for the Five Guys theft. As the judge ordered him to be taken to the cells, he put his middle finger up at members of the press and accused journalists of 'promoting lies' about him. The judge hauled him back and said the obscene gesture 'confirms his lack of remorse'. The thug's extensive criminal history - 12 previous convictions relating to 28 offences - was laid bare after he pleaded guilty on May 29 to stealing Ms Chenneour's phone and assaulting Mr Kureishi. Sentencing him, Judge Martin Edmunds KC, the Recorder of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, described Boulares as engaging in a 'systematic pattern of stealing from people'. He said: 'It is clear you are completely willing to use violence when challenged. 'It's a matter of the deepest regret that individuals targeted on these occasions are left feeling that they don't want to come to London or they should leave London.' The judge added: 'Your pattern of offending both in these offences and the past demonstrate that only custody is appropriate... You seem to be plagued by an attitude if people can afford nice things, then you can take them. 'I have no doubt he has been targeting areas where he hopes there are rich pickings.' In a victim impact statement read out to the court, Ms Chenneour said: 'I have previously experienced an assault that has left me scared to go out and leave the house, this ended in a severe bout of depression which further prevented me from leaving my home, and the incident today feels like a big set back in my journey to improve my mental health. 'I am feeling extremely shaken and cannot stop replaying the incident in my own head and am extremely worried that I might see both of the suspects again and as a result be put in the same danger that I felt I was in during the incident. 'I felt like I have emotionally shut down and am anxious that this might happen again. 'I really like going to Joe and The Juice but I am nervous about being there again and have already begun considering leaving London.' Mr Kureishi, in his own victim impact statement, added: 'This incident has impacted me. After the incident I truly feel worried and scared to carry my belongings. I feel like being in a café is going to make me feel paranoid and unsafe.' Boulares also admitted stealing a black leather handbag from a diner at a Pizza Pilgrims restaurant on Kingly Street, in London's West End, on 30 January this year. Prosecutor Alex Mullen told the court how at around 7.35pm that day, victim Akira Morgan, 31, realised her bag was missing. She then began to receive messages from her bank, asking her whether she was trying to withdraw money from a nearby Tesco, while Boulares had also spent money on her card in nearby shops, the court heard. Her handbag contained her driving licence, other cards, sunglasses, gloves, a phone charger, makeup and £20 in cash. The court was shown CCTV of Boulares pinching the bag and handing it to an unknown accomplice before the duo made off together. Ms Morgan said she felt 'violated because the suspect had access to all parts of my life'. The victim said she does not feel safe to go back to London and 'didn't want to leave my house for a while just in case'. In the third case, which was revealed for the first time on Tuesday, Boulares admitted stealing a rucksack from a blind couple at a Five Guys burger restaurant in Kensington, where they were eating with their 10-year-old son. The court heard how Netta O'Carroll, 50, had hung her bag on the back of her chair but when she went to pull out a water bottle, she noticed it was missing. Mr Mullen explained: 'She asked her fully sighted son to look under the table for the bag but it was gone.' CCTV clips showed in court showed Boulares walking into the Five Guys, taking a seat on the table next to Ms O'Caroll and her family before pouncing. He lurked behind the young boy before snatching the bag from Ms O'Carroll's chair. The court heard how Boulares eventually pleaded guilty but maintains that he was not aware the couple were blind. The bag contained debit and credit cards, a freedom pass, a blue disabled badge, around £40 in cash, two gift cards and printed photographs of her son which were of 'significant sentimental value'. The court heard how Ms O'Carroll later received a call from police who informed her they had retrieved her bag after officers recognised Boulares walking along Harrington Road, near the Five Guys, and chased him. When he noticed them, Boulares fled and discarded the bag, which still had all the items inside, in a hedge. When police officers eventually caught him on February 21, his 18th birthday, he attempted to escape by jumping out a first floor window. Boulares taunted officers and his victims, saying: 'I specifically target vulnerable people.' In a victim impact statement, Ms O'Carroll said she was left 'extremely shocked and anxious', adding: 'I could not understand why somebody would steal a bag from two blind people. I felt it was completely unfair that the responsibility was left for my son, who is young, to keep an eye of my rucksack.' Mr Mullen told the court how Boulares 'smirked' when discussing the impact on Ms O'Carroll and was identified by Forensic Child and Adult Mental Health Services as being 'very dangerous, skilled at using violence to create confusion, terror and control and intelligent and ruthless'. His probation officers described him as experience 'feelings of jealousy seeing others with expensive or designer items that he cannot attain so he seeks to take it by force', adding: 'He demonstrated strong pro-criminal attitudes and glamorises criminality.' It was the Five Guys theft that enabled police to catch Boulares for the Pizza Pilgrims theft and the robbery of Ms Chenneour at Joe & the Juice. In exclusive footage obtained by MailOnline last month the actress was seen courageously fighting back against the hooded thief who targeted her while she was out walking her dog Ralph with her then boyfriend Mr Kureishi. In the CCTV, Boulares can be seen prowling around the back of the café, waiting for Mr Kureishi to leave her alone at the table while he ordered. Boulares, wearing all black with a navy cap, then snuck up behind the actress and swiped her phone while she had her back turned. But in a moment of complete instinct, she quickly leapt into action and lunged at the thief while Mr Kureishi quickly intervened and helped drag him to the floor. The fearless Yorkshire-born actress then put her arm out to block Boulares from leaving and dislodged the phone from his hand. Retrieving the iPhone from off the floor, she then used the device to strike Boulares multiple times while he was left helpless on the floor. The commotion continued as shocked onlookers began to form a crowd in the popular café in Kensington. The tussle could then be seen spilling into the back of the café, where Ms Chenneour, Mr Kureishi and Boulares can only be seen in CCTV in glimpses via a mirror. In new mobile footage taken by a staff member which was played in court, Ms Chenneour could be heard screaming at the thug while Mr Kureishi had him in a headlock on the floor while the dog was barking and jumping on him. She was heard telling them: 'I'll f***ing punch you', 'Don't touch my s**t' and at one point 'I'm a girl, get away from me….he took my phone!' Towards the end of the footage the star is heard on the phone asking 'Can I have the police please?' After around four minutes of scuffling, the humbled crook then pointed his finger in the face of Ms Chenneour's then boyfriend before walking out of the café without the phone. In an interview with The Times, Ms Chenneour revealed: 'I got on his back while [Kureishi] was on the floor holding him down. Then he threatened to stab me, and I thought I was going to be killed. I was terrified.' Boulares' heartbroken mother Myriam told MailOnline last month: 'From the day he was born, I knew there was something wrong with Zac, and as he got older, I confirmed it – it got worse and worse. 'I always knew he would end up getting into trouble because of his personality from a very young age. 'I have been to court with him so many times. I knew it was not going to end up well. I am not excusing his behaviour for one moment. There are no excuses for what he did.' It was previously misreported that Boulares was Algerian and that he couldn't be deported back to Algeria because his offences were committed before he turned 18. But in fact the teen mugger is a British citizen by birth - he was delivered at the prestigious Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London, in February 2007. Boulares went on to rob Ms Chenneour after being released from youth detention for the attack on chorister Mr Jones on July 7, 2023. He threatened Mr Jones with a 20-inch machete, demanding the 'f***king Rolex' on the singer's arm, while threatening to cut his limb off. Boulares could not be named at the time due to his age. After the terrified baritone gave the menacing youth his watch, Boulares later said he would 'cut [Jones's] head off' if the Songs of Praise star continued to follow him. The now 18-year-old appeared late to magistrates court late several times before he eventually pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an offensive weapon at Wimbledon Youth Court. It was also heard the youngster had also stolen a £20,000 gold Rolex from a pensioner. At his sentencing, defence barrister Miss Maddison Fisher told the court: 'Mr Boulares is just 18 years old. He is now 18 but was 17 when he committed all of the offences.' She told the court how Boulares has suffered 'several traumatic events' including his parents splitting, being stabbed and seeing his friend die from a knife attack. The court heard he has been 'targeted by older peers'. Miss Fisher continued: 'Mr Boulares has expressed to me this morning that he would like to apologise to the victims for the offending behaviour. 'He wishes upon his release to seek a pro-social and law-abiding lifestyle. 'He feels his actions were broadcast to society through social media and feels greatly ashamed and insecure of himself.' The judge said he had taken into account the defendant's apparent 'remorse' but was struck by a highly experienced probation officer's report that it appeared 'superficial'. Addressing Boulares, Judge Edmunds KC condemned the teen for his 'appalling' repeat offending, telling him: 'They feature regular violence, stealing, robbery, knives. 'You chose to adopt a systematic lifestyle of preying on those who had more than you.' The judge added: 'You have been punished by a variety of means including youth rehabilitation orders, detention and training orders which do not appear to have had any affect on you.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Moment grimacing teenage thug, 18 who targeted Bridgerton star for her phone is arrested by police after trying to flee by jumping out of window when officers arrived at his door
This is the moment a criminal teenage thug who robbed a Bridgerton star during a spree of attacks jumped out of his window when officers arrived at his door to arrest him. Zacariah Boulares, 18, snuck up behind actress Genevieve Chenneour, 27, and grabbed her iPhone 14 Pro in the upmarket Joe & the Juice coffee shop on Kensington High Street, west London, while she was walking her black maltipoo on February 8. Bodycam footage from police shows the moment officers arrived at the teenager's house to arrest him. They are seen hurrying down the stairs and out of the door after hearing Boulares make his escape. As they arrest him, the teen can be heard saying 'wow, mate'. He then stands up in handcuffs and is pictured pouting at officers, while one mentions that he dropped his phone during the escape. Today the teenager was jailed for just 22 months at Isleworth Crown Court. Boulares was scolded by the judge as he put his middle finger up at members of the public gallery before he was taken down to the police cells by security guards today. MailOnline previously revealed CCTV of the incredible moment Ms Chenneour bravely fought back against the thief and dragged him to the floor with the help of her boyfriend at the time, Carlo Kureishi, 30, the son of the writer Hanif Kureishi. Ms Chenneour, who before acting was on Team GB 's synchronised swimming team and later became a trained boxer, revealed how she thought she was going to die after the thug threatened to stab her while the tussle escalated on the floor. Around 18 months earlier, Boulares had targeted another celebrity victim when he threatened to behead Aled Jones with a 20in machete as he stole his £17,000 Rolex Daytona in Chiswick, west London. The thief, then 16, was locked up for his attack on the Welsh singer in October 2023 but only served 14 months of his 24-month sentence before being released back onto the streets. Boulares, who was named and pictured after turning 18 in February, has continued to wreak havoc on Londoners, including robbing rising star Ms Chenneour, who plays rumour-monger Clara Livingston in hit Netflix period drama Bridgerton. Isleworth Crown Court heard today how detectives were able to catch Boulares after arresting him - on his 18th birthday - for stealing a backpack from a blind couple who were dining at a Five Guys in Kensington with their 10-year-old son on February 18. Police were then able to identify him as the perpetrator for the theft of Ms Chenneour on February 8 and stealing a handbag at a Pizza Pilgrims restaurant in London's West End on January 30. Stern-faced Boulares sat with his arms crossed as he appeared in the dock today with a long black ponytail and grey prison tracksuit on, where he was jailed for the three thefts across London and the common assault of Mr Kureishi. He was sentenced concurrently to five months for the Pizza Pilgrims theft, seven months for the Joe and the Juice theft, four months for the common assault and six months for the Five Guys theft. As the judge ordered him to be taken to the cells, he put his middle finger up at members of the press and accused journalists of 'promoting lies' about him. The judge hauled him back and said the obscene gesture 'confirms his lack of remorse'. The thug's extensive criminal history - 12 previous convictions relating to 28 offences - was laid bare after he pleaded guilty on May 29 to stealing Ms Chenneour's phone and assaulting Mr Kureishi. Sentencing him, Judge Martin Edmunds KC, the Recorder of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, described Boulares as engaging in a 'systematic pattern of stealing from people'. 'It is clear you are completely willing to use violence when challenged. 'It's a matter of the deepest regret that individuals targeted on these occasions are left feeling that they don't want to come to London or they should leave London.' The judge added: 'Your pattern of offending both in these offences and the past demonstrate that only custody is appropriate... You seem to be plagued by an attitude if people can afford nice things, then you can take them. 'I have no doubt he has been targeting areas where he hopes there are rich pickings.' In a victim impact statement read out to the court, Ms Chenneour said: 'I have previously experienced an assault that has left me scared to go out and leave the house, this ended in a severe bout of depression which further prevented me from leaving my home, and the incident today feels like a big set back in my journey to improve my mental health. 'I am feeling extremely shaken and cannot stop replaying the incident in my own head and am extremely worried that I might see both of the suspects again and as a result be put in the same danger that I felt I was in during the incident. She courageously stood up to the thief, hitting him with the phone as he tussled with a man on the floor during the ordeal 'I felt like I have emotionally shut down and am anxious that this might happen again. 'I really like going to Joe and the Juice but I am nervous about being there again and have already begun considering leaving London.' Mr Kureishi, in his own victim impact statement, added: 'This incident has impacted me. After the incident I truly feel worried and scared to carry my belongings. I feel like being in a café is going to make me feel paranoid and unsafe.' Boulares also admitted stealing a black leather handbag from a diner at a Pizza Pilgrims restaurant on Kingly Street, in London's West End, on 30 January this year. Prosecutor Alex Mullen told the court how at around 7.35pm that day, victim Akira Morgan, 31, realised her bag was missing. She then began to receive messages from her bank, asking her whether she was trying to withdraw money from a nearby Tesco, while Boulares had also spent money on her card in nearby shops, the court heard. Her handbag contained her driving licence, other cards, sunglasses, gloves, a phone charger, makeup and £20 in cash. The court was shown CCTV of Boulares pinching the bag and handing it to an unknown accomplice before the duo made off together. In another theft, Boulares stole a handbag from a woman at Pizza Pilgrims in Kingly Street on January 30 He was arrested three days later and again tried to flee but officers were able to detain him Ms Morgan said she felt 'violated because the suspect had access to all parts of my life'. The victim said she does not feel safe to go back to London and 'didn't want to leave my house for a while just in case '. In the third case, which was revealed for the first time today, Boulares admitted stealing a rucksack from a blind couple at a Five Guys burger restaurant in Kensington, where they were eating with their 10-year-old son. The court heard how Netta O'Carroll, 50, had hung her bag on the back of her chair but when she went to pull out a water bottle, she noticed it was missing. Mr Mullen explained: 'She asked her fully sighted son to look under the table for the bag but it was gone.' CCTV clips showed in court today showed Boulares walking into the Five Guys, taking a seat on the table next to Ms O'Caroll and her family before pouncing. He lurked behind the young boy before snatching the bag from Ms O'Carroll's chair. The court heard how Boulares eventually pleaded guilty but maintains that he was not aware the couple were blind. The bag contained debit and credit cards, a freedom pass, a blue disabled badge, around £40 in cash, two gift cards and printed photographs of her son which were of 'significant sentimental value'. The court heard how Ms O'Carroll later received a call from police who informed her they had retrieved her bag after officers recognised Boulares walking along Harrington Road, near the Five Guys, and chased him. When he noticed them, Boulares fled and discarded the bag, which still had all the items inside, in a hedge. When police officers eventually caught him on February 21, his 18th birthday, he attempted to escape by jumping out a first floor window. Boulares taunted officers and his victims, saying: 'I specifically target vulnerable people'. In a victim impact statement, Ms O'Carroll said she was left 'extremely shocked and anxious', adding: 'I could not understand why somebody would steal a bag from two blind people. I felt it was completely unfair that the responsibility was left for my son, who is young, to keep an eye of my rucksack.' Mr Mullen told the court how Boulares 'smirked' when discussing the impact on Ms O'Carroll and was identified by Forensic Child and Adult Mental Health Services as being 'very dangerous, skilled at using violence to create confusion, terror and control and intelligent and ruthless'. His probation officers described him as experience 'feelings of jealousy seeing others with expensive or designer items that he cannot attain so he seeks to take it by force', adding: 'He demonstrated strong pro-criminal attitudes and glamorises criminality.' It was the Five Guys theft that enabled police to catch Boulares for the Pizza Pilgrims theft and the robbery of Ms Chenneour at Joe & the Juice. In exclusive footage obtained by MailOnline last month the actress was seen courageously fighting back against the hooded thief who targeted her while she was out walking her dog Ralph with her then boyfriend Mr Kureishi. In the CCTV, Boulares can be seen prowling around the back of the café, waiting for Mr Kureishi to leave her alone at the table while he ordered. Boulares, wearing all black with a navy cap, then snuck up behind the actress and swiped her phone while she had her back turned. But in a moment of complete instinct, she quickly leapt into action and lunged at the thief while Mr Kureishi quickly intervened and helped drag him to the floor. The fearless Yorkshire-born actress then put her arm out to block Boulares from leaving and dislodged the phone from his hand. Retrieving the iPhone from off the floor, she then used the device to strike Boulares multiple times while he was left helpless on the floor. The commotion continued as shocked onlookers began to form a crowd in the popular café in Kensington. The tussle could then be seen spilling into the back of the café, where Ms Chenneour, Mr Kureishi and Boulares can only be seen in CCTV in glimpses via a mirror. In new mobile footage taken by a staff member which was played in court today, Ms Chenneour could be heard screaming at the thug while Mr Kureishi had him in a headlock on the floor while the dog was barking and jumping on him. She was heard telling them: 'I'll f***ing punch you', 'Don't touch my s**t' and at one point 'I'm a girl, get away from me….he took my phone!'. Towards the end of the footage the star is heard on the phone asking 'Can I have the police please?' After around four minutes of scuffling, the humbled crook then pointed his finger in the face of Ms Chenneour's then boyfriend before walking out of the café without the phone. In an interview with The Times, Ms Chenneour revealed: 'I got on his back while [Kureishi] was on the floor holding him down. Then he threatened to stab me, and I thought I was going to be killed. I was terrified.' Ms Chenneour, who was struck on the head and suffered with concussion, has fled west London since the attack after seven years in the capital. Boulares' heartbroken mother Myriam told MailOnline last month: 'From the day he was born, I knew there was something wrong with Zac, and as he got older, I confirmed it – it got worse and worse. 'I always knew he would end up getting into trouble because of his personality from a very young age. 'I have been to court with him so many times. I knew it was not going to end up well. 'I am not excusing his behaviour for one moment. There are no excuses for what he did.' It was previously misreported that Boulares was Algerian and that he couldn't be deported back to Algeria because his offences were committed before he turned 18. But in fact the teen mugger is a British citizen by birth - he was delivered at the prestigious Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London, in February 2007. Boulares went on to rob Ms Chenneour after being released from youth detention for the attack on chorister Mr Jones on July 7 2023. He threatened Mr Jones with a 20-inch machete, demanding the 'f***king Rolex' on the singer's arm, while threatening to cut his limb off. Boulares could not be named at the time due to his age. After the terrified baritone gave the menacing youth his watch, Boulares later said he would 'cut [Jones's] head off' if the Songs of Praise star continued to follow him. The now 18-year-old appeared late to magistrates court late several times before he eventually pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an offensive weapon at Wimbledon Youth Court. It was also heard the youngster had also stolen a £20,000 gold Rolex from a pensioner. At his sentencing today, defence barrister Miss Maddison Fisher told the court: 'Mr Boulares is just 18 years old. He is now 18 but was 17 when he committed all of the offences.' She told the court how Boulares has suffered 'several traumatic events' including his parents splitting, being stabbed and seeing his friend die from a knife attack. The court heard he has been 'targeted by older peers'. Miss Fisher continued: 'Mr Boulares has expressed to me this morning that he would like to apologise to the victims for the offending behaviour. 'He wishes upon his release to seek a pro-social and law-abiding lifestyle. 'He feels his actions were broadcast to society through social media and feels greatly ashamed and insecure of himself.' The judge said he had taken into account the defendant's apparent 'remorse' but was struck by a highly experienced probation officer's report that it appeared 'superficial'. Addressing Boulares today, Judge Edmunds KC condemned the teen for his 'appalling' repeat offending, telling him: 'They feature regular violence, stealing, robbery, knives. 'You chose to adopt a systematic lifestyle of preying on those who had more than you.' The judge added: 'You have been punished by a variety of means including youth rehabilitation orders, detention and training orders which do not appear to have had any affect on you.
