Jail for Teenager who Robbed Aled Jones in Chiswick

Zacariah Boulares convicted after a string of thefts and assaults

Boulares was arrested on his 18th birthday. Picture: Met Police

July 1, 2025

The teenager who threatened broadcaster Aled Jones with a machete in Chiswick to steal his watch, has been jailed for 22 months after carrying out a string of thefts and an assault.

When the police went to arrest Zacariah Boulares at his home on Tennyson Road, Hounslow on 21 February this year, he made an attempt to escape out of a window while taunting pursuing officers by saying “I specifically target vulnerable people".

Since then, he has been remanded in custody until his recent trial heard evidence of a number of recent crimes he had carried out as well as 12 previous convictions relating to 28 offences including the robbery of Mr Jones on 7 July 2023. The Classic FM and Songs of Praise presenter had been walking with his son when 16-year-old Boulares approached him threatening to cut his arm off unless he handed over his £17,000 Daytona Rolex watch. He went on to serve a 14 month youth detention order.

Boulares, an Algerian national, had not been named after the attack in Chiswick, but has now been convicted as an adult meaning his identity was revealed at the trial.

In his latest string of robberies, one of his victims was Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour, who played Miss Clara Livingston in the Netflix series. She was with her dog on 8 February at the Kensington branch of Joe and the Juice this year when Boulares demanded her phone, she resisted and was left with concussion when the robber used force to take it from her. CCTV captured him leaving the scene and he was identified by members of the local neighbourhood police team who were already aware of his record of offending.

The previous month he had also taken a Rolex from a 78-year-old man near Paddington station and on Thursday, 30 January, in CCTV footage showed Boulares and an accomplice walking into the outdoor area of a busy restaurant in Kingly Street in Soho. They wore their hoods up to obscure their faces. The two then stole a handbag belonging to a 30-year-old woman sitting nearby. Officers discovered that Boulares used the bank cards in the stolen bag to purchase items, including clothing, worth £86. He also withdrew £60 and attempted to withdraw another £150.

On Tuesday, 18 February Boulares stole a rucksack from a blind couple - a 50-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man, dining with their young son at a restaurant in Kensington High Street.

As Boulares left the restaurant, patrolling officers in the area noticed him acting suspiciously. They gave chase, but were unable to catch Boulares, who discarded the rucksack in a bush as he fled. This was later returned to the couple by police.

Three days later, Boulares was arrested at his home and pleaded guilty to all the offences on Thursday, 29 May at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. He received his 22-month jail sentence on Tuesday, 1 July at Isleworth Crown Court.

The Met says uniform and plain clothes officers across London are patrolling robbery hotspots to identify, apprehend and deter potential offenders, with dedicated teams targeting repeat offenders. Incidents of neighbourhood crime, which includes offences such as robbery, theft from a person and shoplifting, have reduced by 18.6 per cent compared to the same period last year. Over the past 15 months, the Met has also increased arrests per month by 10 per cent.

Superintendent Owen Renowden, who leads policing in Kensington and Chelsea for the Met said, “We understand the significant impact that robbery and theft can have on victims – it's an invasive and sometimes violent crime.

“We’re committed to protecting Londoners and tackling the kind of criminality carried out by Boulares as we make the capital safer.

“His behaviour showed a blatant disregard for others and their belongings, even going as far to admit that he only targets vulnerable people. I commend the determination of officers who brought him to justice.”