A GANG OF eight men who stole luxury watches from people in violent street robberies in central London have been sentenced to a combined 54 years in jail.

The 14 robberies took place in areas such as the West End, Mayfair and Knightsbridge between May and November 2017.

The total value of the watches they stole amounted to £280,000 (€310,000).

Police Sergeant Annie Yau said there was a “shocking level of violence” in these crimes, with some victims grabbed around the neck, thrown to the floor, and often being kicked and punched when on the ground and having their watches ripped from their wrists.

“They were all intimidated and threatened by these despicable individuals whose sole objective was to steal the high value items for their own greed,” she said.

While the attacks were mostly at night, one took place in broad daylight when some of the gang mistook a cheap Rolex copy for the real thing. They also attacked a pensioner and made threats to stab some of the victims.

In one incident, they followed residents of a Knightsbridge house to their home after a night out. They assaulted them in the street before forcing their way into the house and threatening their victims with bottles and a knife before stealing two watches.

One of the men, Serewo Gwanzura, 23, Old Kent Road, Southwark, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for three offences. Ziyad Al-Daher, 28, of Brockley Road, Lewisham, was sentenced for nine offences and was given a 10-and-a-half year term.

Other sentences handed out to those responsible included an eight-year jail term, seven years, four years, and five years.