A machete-wielding teenager who menaced singer Aled Jones, threatening to sever his head, while robbing him of his £17,000 Rolex watch, has been sentenced to a period of detention.
The 52-year-old Welsh baritone was walking with his son along Chiswick High Road in west London at approximately 5:40 pm on July 7. The 16-year-old assailant, who cannot be named, confronted him upon noticing the Daytona Rolex on Mr. Jones’s wrist.
At Ealing Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, it was revealed that the teenager pointed the machete at Mr. Jones’s face and demanded he relinquish the watch. Upon realizing that the singer was still tailing him from a distance after handing over the Rolex, the aggressor issued a chilling warning: “Walk the other way or I will cut your head off.”
The youth was sentenced to a 24-month detention and training order, as he had arrived late for court proceedings for the second time.
The court was informed that the teenager had previously stolen a gold Rolex watch valued at £20,000 from a man in his 70s at Paddington station in west London. Originally, he was scheduled to face trial for robbing Mr. Jones at Wimbledon Youth Court in August. However, he changed his plea to guilty for both robbery and possession of an offensive weapon after arriving late, with his trial already in progress.
Vijay Khuttan, who was prosecuting the case, informed Ealing Magistrates’ Court that Mr. Jones and his son were taking a stroll when the youth “spotted” them, specifically the valuable watch on Mr. Jones’s wrist.
“He crossed the road and followed them down the high street,” Mr Khuttan continued. “He pulled out a machete and ran towards Jones and his son with the machete brandished.”
The youth told Mr Jones: “Give me your Rolex or I will cut your arm off. He pointed the machete in Jones’s face.”
