Algerian man jailed for 32 months over £12,800 handbag robbery
An Algerian asylum seeker has been jailed for over two and a half years after robbing designer handbags from a London John Lewis store and assaulting staff members. Kheirddine Fatmi, 35, was part of a gang of five masked men who stole 13 Mulberry handbags and a keychain worth £12,800 from the West End shop in October, and he spat on a security guard during the raid. He was also convicted of multiple separate assaults at a Co-op store, where he repeatedly spat at and threw items at employees.
Fatmi was sentenced to 32 months' imprisonment and may face deportation from the UK, where he is currently seeking asylum. The court heard he was drawn to crime because he could not work legally whilst his asylum application was pending. His co-offenders escaped the John Lewis robbery, but Fatmi was caught fleeing the scene. He has also been banned from entering the Baker Street Co-op for five years.
- Algerian asylum seeker jailed 32 months for John Lewis handbag robbery and assault
- Spat on security guard and Co-op staff in multiple violent incidents
- May face deportation; cited inability to work legally during asylum process
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A man in the process of seeking asylum in the United Kingdom has been convicted for his role in a robbery at a major London department store. The crime involved a coordinated gang attack in which expensive designer goods were stolen from the shop, with staff members assaulted during the incident. Violent attacks on workers also occurred at a separate supermarket.
The convicted individual was part of a larger gang, though his accomplices were not caught at the time of the crimes. His case involves the legal constraints placed on asylum seekers in the UK, who are typically unable to work legally whilst their residency applications are being processed. The courts have considered both his criminal convictions and his immigration circumstances in determining his punishment and potential removal from the country.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Algerian asylum seeker who spat at security gang after robbing John Lewis of designer handbags is jailed and may be deported”.