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Two men accused of acting as “bystanders” during the armed robbery of former world boxing champion Amir Khan have been cleared of conspiracy to rob. The 36-year-old man, from Bolton, had his £70,000 diamond encrusted watch stolen as he was leaving an east London restaurant with his wife on April 18 last year.

Ismail Mohamed, 24, from Edmonton, and Nurul Amin, 25, from Harringay, both in north London, denied conspiracy to rob and were acquitted by a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London. London today (Friday). The jury deliberated for only two hours before returning their unanimous verdicts.

Mohamed and Amin were accused of planning an ambush with others in which Khan was forced to hand over his bespoke diamond-encrusted rose gold Franck Muller watch by 20-year-old gunman Dante Campbell. Mohamed and Amin were in the restaurant with another man named Hamza Kulane. that he was not on trial.

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The prosecution argued that they had acted as ‘observers’ and stayed in the restaurant to follow Khan’s movements and relay them by phone to 25-year-old Ahmed Bana. Campbell and Bana, who drove the robbers to and from the scene, previously admitted to their roles. in the ambush

Mohamed said Bana arranged with him to meet the group to buy cannabis, but denied alerting anyone at the restaurant that Khan was there, telling jurors he had simply been checking social media. He told the jury that he had not heard of Khan before accompanying his friends to the restaurant to break their Ramadan fast.

He said it was his friend Mr Kulane who pointed out that Mr Khan was in the restaurant when fans saw him and asked for pictures. Mohamed said he later told Bana about the boxer’s presence during a phone call.

Asked why a gunman later appeared on the scene, he told the court: “I don’t know why he came. Do not know him. I don’t know the reason why he came. I don’t have his number.”

Rabah Kherbane, defending Mohamed, said he gave “frank and honest evidence” and on CCTV he played in court “you can see he is not an observer.” He added that “they legitimately went to dinner and you can see it on CCTV”, and “were having dinner and were not involved” in the robbery.

“Most of us sitting in a restaurant use our phones. Most of us browse the Internet. It’s so ridiculous to have to answer using your phone when you’re in a restaurant.”

It said that “there is no evidence in this case to link Mr. Mohamed to firearms or that he knew there was a firearm” and “there is nothing after the event to link Mr. Mohamed to the robbery.” “We may laugh, sometimes, in court, that’s okay, humor is human. But there’s nothing funny about this young man getting beaten up for a year for something he didn’t do. Not fun at all.

The robbery, which lasted only seconds, was captured on CCTV which was broadcast to the jury. Khan, who was the unified world light-welterweight champion, said he looked down the barrel of the gun as the robber pointed it at his face and said, “Take off your watch.”

Zacharias Miah, defending Amin, who did not testify at the trial, said: “We categorically say on his behalf that the prosecution’s case does not exist against Mr. Amin. It’s so weak that it doesn’t exist at all.”

There were no calls between Amin and Bana, Campbell or the third man alleged to have been part of the plot and no forensic evidence linking Amin to the watch or the gun. They were “the worst observers in the world” if they were involved in the robbery, Miah said.

Campbell, from Hornsey, and Bana, from Tottenham, both in north London, admitted conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of an imitation firearm. They will be sentenced on a date to be determined.

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