Teen with Machete Threatened to Cut Off Aled Jones's Arm

Court hears details of robbery in Chiswick

Aled Jones. Picture: @realaled/Twitter

August 24, 2023

TV and radio presenter Aled Jones was threatened with having his arm cut off during a robbery in Chiswick a court has been told.

He was walking along Chiswick High Road at around 5pm on Friday 7 July with his 18-year-old son when they were approached by a youth wielding a machete which he waved in their faces.

The sixteen-year-old, who is not being named for legal reasons, made the threat to get the 52-year-old former chorister to hand over a Rolex Daytona he was wearing. The watch, which is valued at least £17,000, was immediately handed over and the robber made off.

The boy was identified after being caught on a CCTV camera after police looked through hours of footage which revealed that he had stalked Mr Jones for several minutes before carrying out the robbery. They managed to retrieve a usable image of the youth which was then circulated to local officers, two of whom were able to identify him. Police went to his home in Feltham to arrest him.

They found the machete as well as clothing similar to that worn during the robbery but the watch wasn't there and has still hasn't been recovered. Mr Jones’s son later picked him out of an identity parade.

The boy was charged on Friday, 14 July with one count of robbery. He was kept in custody to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court the next day.

He was bailed to appear at Wimbledon Youth Court for trial on Thursday, 24 August. Although he initially denied the charges, he pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an offensive weapon after the court was in session. This meant that Mr Jones and his son were not required to give evidence in court.

The boy was given bail again and the case has been adjourned for reports to be prepared. He is due to appear at another hearing at Ealing Youth Court on 12 September. The judge warned him that, given the serious nature of the offence, the case may be referred to the Crown Court which can hand out tougher sentences.

Detective Chief Inspector Garth Hall, of the West Area Command Unit, said, “Tackling robbery is a priority for the Met and this case shows we will thoroughly investigate and move quickly to arrest those responsible.

“Robbery is a frightening ordeal for victims; people should not be afraid of being forcibly deprived of the things they own. In this case an aggravating feature was that the victim was threatened with injury and a weapon. Thankfully no one was actually injured, but this in no way mitigates the seriousness of such a crime.

“All the officers involved in this investigation worked quickly and efficiently to find the person responsible. Within days we had identified the suspect, arrested them and charged them with the crime. It was excellent work and the result is today, faced with overwhelming evidence, the person responsible has pleaded guilty to the crime.”

The case brought the Chiswick area to national attention with the Daily Mail describing it as 'Fortress Chiswick'. However, robbery rates in local wards are well below the borough and London averages. An uptick in thefts on the High Road during July is believed by local police officers to be an anomaly and incidents of shoplifting, although persistent, are also usually below average for London shopping districts.