Two men were acquitted of their role as lookouts in the armed abduction of boxer Amir Khan.
In April 2022, the 36-year-old former world champion was forced to give over a £70,000 watch as he and his wife left a restaurant in Leyton, east London.
Ismail Mohamed, 24, and Nurul Amin, 25, were exonerated at Snaresbrook Crown Court of aiding gunmen Dante Campbell, 20, and Ahmed Bana, 25.
Mr. Mohamed and Mr. Amin denied conspiring to commit a robbery.
Friday’s two-hour jury of five women and seven men found the defendant not guilty.
Campbell, from Hornsey, north London, and Bana, from Tottenham, north London, who drove the robbers to and from the site in a silver Mercedes coupe, have confessed to their roles in the scheme.
During his trial, Mr. Khan said staring down a gun while being stolen was scarier than any fight.
“I was extremely terrified,” he said. “I am an athlete and a combatant. And I have always been placed in the most difficult situations when I enter the ring to fight. But this was completely different and extremely terrifying.”
‘Buying hashish’
Mr. Mohamed and Mr. Amin were accused of dining at the restaurant to observe Mr. Khan’s movements and then relaying this information to Bana via telephone.
At the restaurant with them was Hamza Kulane, who was not on trial.
Mr. Mohamed stated that Bana arranged for him to meet the group to purchase hashish. But denied informing anyone that Mr. Khan was present at the restaurant.
He told the jury that he had been perusing social media and had never heard of Mr. Khan.
According to him, Mr. Kulane was the one who mentioned that Mr. Khan was at the restaurant when sports enthusiasts spotted him and posed for photographs.
Mr. Mohamed stated that he informed Bana of the athlete’s presence via telephone.
Regarding why a gunman arrived at the site later, he told the court, “I do not know.” I do not know him.
“I am unaware of the cause for his visit. And I lack his telephone number.”
The brief robbery was documented on CCTV footage that was shown to the jury during the trial.
Khan, the undisputed light-welterweight world champion, stated that he stared into the barrel of the gun when the robber pointed the weapon at his face and demanded that he remove his watch.
Rabah Kherbane, Mr. Mohamed’s attorney, stated that the defendant gave “open and truthful testimony.”
“They were legitimately out to dinner, as evidenced by CCTV,” he stated.
He added, “The majority of diners use their cell phones. The majority of us browse the Internet. When dining in a restaurant, it is absurd to be required to respond to phone calls.
“We may occasionally laugh in court; that’s acceptable; humor is human. The fact that this young man is being punished for a year for something he did not do is not amusing. Nothing amusing whatsoever”
A serious and traumatic event
In his closing statement, Mr. Amin’s attorney, Zacharias Miah, stated that the case against his client was “so weak that it does not exist at all.”
If the defendants were involved in the scheme, he said, they would be “the worst spotters in the world.”
Campbell and Bana’s sentencing date has not yet been determined.
Temp Cpl Owain Richards, the Metropolitan Police’s lead for personal burglary, stated that Mr. Khan likely feared for his life during the “extremely terrifying” robbery.
He stated, “This was a traumatic event for Mr. Khan and his family.”
“I cannot fathom what they endured in terms of life-threatening fear, and I am determined to reduce robberies.”
