logo
Thief who swiped Bridgerton star's phone before she tackled him to cafe floor and grabbed it back with pal is jailed

Thief who swiped Bridgerton star's phone before she tackled him to cafe floor and grabbed it back with pal is jailed

Scottish Sun01-07-2025
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A BRAZEN thief who nicked a Bridgerton star's phone before being wrestled to the ground by the actress has been jailed for 22 months.
CCTV footage showed the moment Zacariah Boulares, 18, swiped the device from unsuspecting Genevieve Chenneour in a coffee shop in Kensington, south west London.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
7
Zacariah Boulares was captured trying to nab the star's mobile
Credit: Met Police
7
After spotting the theft, Genevieve fought back against the thief
Credit: Met Police
7
Genevieve tackled the thief to the ground
Credit: Instagram
Genevieve, 27, attempted to stop the teenager escaping during the daylight mugging in a Joe & The Juice branch in February.
The brave actress, who played Clara Livingston in the third season of the Netflix period drama, grabbed Boulares' shoulder after she realised her phone had been taken.
She tackled the serial thief to the ground with the help of then boyfriend, scriptwriter Carlo Kureishi, who was assaulted and warned he would be stabbed by the teen.
Former professional athlete Genevieve managed to take her phone back from Boulares before repeatedly hitting him with it during the ordeal in the posh cafe.
Speaking on the theft, the Yorkshire-born Netflix star said said: "They didn't expect me to stand up for myself, but I did."
In her victim impact statement, the actress said she was "extremely shaken" and could not stop playing out the incident in her head.
She said: "I am extremely worried I might see both suspects.
"I felt like I emotionally shut down [and] I am anxious to leave my home again.
"I really like going to Joe & The Juice but I am nervous about being there again and have already begun considering leaving London."
She claimed that she was left with concussion after the horror on February 8 and said even her dog was "traumatised".
Her ex-boyfriend Carlo, son of playwright Hanif Kureishi, said in his statement he is now "worried and scared" to carry his belongings.
He added: "I feel like being in a cafe is going to make me feel paranoid and unsafe."
Bridgerton star 'left with concussion' after she tried to stop teen thief stealing her phone in coffee shop
Prosecutor Alex Mullen told Isleworth Crown Court how Genevieve had suffered "significant emotional distress".
Mr Mullen said: "She ordered a drink and sat waiting for it to be made.
"While she was was waiting she noticed that the defendant walked past her.
"Then a short time after heard a sound as if someone was very close behind her.
"She turned and she witnessed the defendant taking her phone from the counter on which she'd placed it just behind her."
Genevieve confronted Boulares before Carlo "detained him on the floor of the care for some period of time".
Carlo was then "attacked" by Boulares' unknown accomplice.
The prosecutor added: "He was told that he would be "f***ed up or stabbed by them.
"While all that was going on the police where phoned by Ms Chenneour and the incident gained the attention of other people in the cafe who also called the police."
Algerian national Boulares pleaded guilty to stealing the phone.
7
She tackled the thief to the ground with the help of another customer
Credit: Met Police
7
Zacariah Boulares previously pleaded guilty to stealing the phone
Credit: Central News
7
Genevieve played Clara Livingston in the third season of Bridgerton
The teen, of Hounslow, also admitted common assault against Carlo.
Boulares pleaded guilty to a separate charge of theft after he nabbed a black leather hand bag from a diner at a pizza restaurant.
He also admitted theft of a multi-coloured backpack from a blind couple dining at Five Guys in Kensington on 18 February.
Two years ago, Boulares robbed a 78-year-old man of a gold Rolex worth £20,000 at Paddington station.
The court heard he has 12 previous convictions for a total of 28 offences - all relating to theft.
His rap sheet includes threatening to cut off Aled Jones' arm while stealing his £17,000 Rolex.
The Songs of Praise presenter, 52, was out with his son Lucas when he was targeted near their home in Chiswick, South West London.
Boulares - then aged 16 - pulled out 20 inch machete and repeatedly threatened Aled in a bid to steal the luxury timepiece.
He told him: "Give me your f***king Rolex or I will cut your arm off."
Aled handed over the £17,000 Rolex Daytona watch rather than fight with the armed robber.
He and his son bravely followed the 6ft teen but when he spotted them, he snarled: "Walk the other way or I will cut your head off."
Police managed to track the teen down after he was captured on CCTV leaving the scene.
Boulares was given a two year training and detention order after pleading guilty to robbery at Ealing Youth Court.
But he was released from youth detention early after serving just 14 months of his 24-month sentence.
As well as Bridgerton, Genevieve appeared in historical film 1242: Gateway To The West.
She is also a former professional athlete who represented Team GB at the Baku 2015 European Games in Artistic swimming events.
Long-haired Boulares, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey prison issue tracksuit, was sentenced to 22 months by Judge Martin Edmunds
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Love Island's Whitney takes savage swipe at ex Lochan as he shows off new girlfriend on Instagram
Love Island's Whitney takes savage swipe at ex Lochan as he shows off new girlfriend on Instagram

Scottish Sun

time7 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

Love Island's Whitney takes savage swipe at ex Lochan as he shows off new girlfriend on Instagram

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LOVE Island's Whitney Adebayo took a savage swipe at her ex Lochan - as he 'showed off his new girlfriend'. The former couple met on Love Island in 2023, where they placed as runners-up. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Whitney and Lachan met on Love Island in 2023 Credit: Rex 4 The pair finished as the runners-up Credit: Rex 4 Brianna and Lachan cooked together on Instagram Credit: Instagram In April, the pair confirmed they had called time on their romance, after two years. Taking to Instagram, Lochan shared a video with him appearing alongside Brianna Balram, who starred in the Netflix reality series, Too Hot to Handle. It showed the pair had cooked together during Brianna's recent trip to London. One follower commented: "So nice to see him happy I see chemistry here." Another added: "This is a soft launch if ever I saw one. "That hand on the small of the back no lie." Elsewhere, Whitney herself addressed the video via a Snapchat post. She shared a screenshotted comment from a follower which read: "Sorry to disturb you sis, have you seen your replacement." Whitney captioned the post: "Using another sister for clickbait, president." Fans had previously speculated a potential romance between Lochan and Brianna. Love Island's Whitney says she was 'bamboozled' by Lochan split and reveals reason for shock split Ahead of their video, Lochan and Brianna posed closely together in a post on Instagram The pair smiled happily to the camera while standing in a kitchen, and as she held up a plate of food in the two photos. "2 worlds 🇬🇧🇺🇸 [Great Britain and United States] + 2 foodies and 1 recipe. Can you guess what me and your fav chef @lochan_nowacki cooked up while I was in London?' Brianna captioned the post. Fans rushed to the comments to speculate whether the pair were a couple or not. Love Island - Whitney and Lochan Love Story THE duo found love on-screen in 2023 - yet what's the lowdown? Beauty mogul Whitney entered the villa on Day 3, and experienced highs and lows on the hit ITV2 reality show, stealing contestant Andre Furtado, 22, the same day she entered into the villa. She coupled up with Mehdi Edno, 26, on Day 5, and in a surprising turn of events, she took personal trainer Zachariah Noble, 26, out on a date but their chemistry would soon fizzle out. Her luck changed in Week 5, when Windsor-born Lochan entered Cara Amor on Day 26. On Day 31, Whitney chose to couple up with Lochan. The show favourites lost out on the winning spot to Jess Harding, 23, and Sammy Root, 23 on the show finale on Day 58. She recently told how the pair were planning to move in together. Yet in July 2024, eyebrows were raised after the pair unfollowed each other on social media then attended an event together - leaving some fans calling out a "publicity stunt." "If they are dating he'll be the luckiest guy coz bree is one of the most beautiful girls ever," wrote one person. "They look good together," penned another. But another person was not convinced, writing: "Where in the caption does it suggest they are dating? "It just looks to me they partnered up to make a dish... or am I missing something?"

Lewis Capaldi takes on role as fashion ambassador for global shoe brand
Lewis Capaldi takes on role as fashion ambassador for global shoe brand

STV News

time7 hours ago

  • STV News

Lewis Capaldi takes on role as fashion ambassador for global shoe brand

Lewis Capaldi has followed Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney by becoming the latest ambassador for a global footwear brand. The Bathgate-born singer has been announced as the latest brand ambassador for footwear brand HEYDUDE in their brand new country campaign. He joins actress Sydney Sweeney, who is also an ambassador and the global spokesperson for the brand. It is the latest step in the 28-year-old's comeback, after he announced an upcoming UK tour – including two dates in Aberdeen and Glasgow in September. The upcoming shows come after the singer made his triumphant return to the Glastonbury stage after a two-year hiatus. It comes after he also announced a partnership with BetterHelp to 'reflect his experience of therapy', by giving away 734,000 free hours. The partnership between HEYDUDE and Capaldi will feature an exclusive short film that offers an intimate look at that the star's journey as an artist. Launching at an event in Glasgow, the film will capture the singer during personal reflections, candid moments and will feature the famous humour he is known for. 'It's been great to partner up with HEYDUDE who are all about feeling right in yourself', Lewis said. 'Making music is something that brings me a lot of comfort. You have to make music for you and then you hope that people find some of themselves in it'. Michael Anthes, SVP and General manager for HEYDUDE International, said: 'Lewis is the perfect fit for HEYDUDE Country – he embodies the spirit of our brand like no other. He's authentic, effortlessly relatable, and lives the comfort-first lifestyle we celebrate. 'This campaign is about more than just footwear; it's about confidence, self-expression, and finding that unique headspace where you can be unapologetically yourself. Lewis doesn't just wear HEYDUDE, he is HEYDUDE Country, and we can't wait to share that energy with the world.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

Flight attendant's bizarre 'air aerobics' class mid-flight leaves passengers stunned
Flight attendant's bizarre 'air aerobics' class mid-flight leaves passengers stunned

Daily Mail​

time7 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Flight attendant's bizarre 'air aerobics' class mid-flight leaves passengers stunned

Flights are often getting delayed, but one airline employee has come up with a unique way to make sure passengers aren't held up too much. A traveler on a recent EasyJet flight, named Joe, took to TikTok to share a hilarious video of a cabin manager taking passengers through a series of movements in their seat, dubbing it 'air-aerobics.' The clip began with Joe in his plane seat listening to the voice of the crew member speaking through the inflight PA system, with a strange request for the passengers. On the clip, Joe wrote: 'What is going on?' as he looked amused and listened to the crew member. 'Just before we come into land … I've been flying for 30 years now … a couple of weeks ago, I just tried something to help the crew out, to help our operations to turnaround the plane quicker,' he said. 'I came up with an idea,' the experienced crew member continued. 'If you want to join in with this, please feel free … it's a bit of a laugh and a bit of a giggle. It's called air aerobics.' The crew member then pointed out the passengers had been cooped up in their seats for three to four hours due to a delay, before guiding them through some stretches. 'So what I'd like everybody to do is stretch around,' he urged. 'Lets see those arms.' He told everyone to lean to the right, then to the left, and then the middle. 'Touch your head,' he instructed. 'Touch your nose, touch your shoulders, touch your knees, no touch your toes.' Then, the stretch got interesting, with the crew member telling passengers to reach into the seat pocket in front of them and locate the safety card. 'Everybody pull that out and wave it in the air like you just don't care,' he directed, before delivering the final instructions of his air-aerobics. 'Put the card back in the seat pocket, with the "safety on board" sign facing you and placing the card in front of the other literature in the seat pocket,' he requested. 'Believe it or not, that's knocked seven minutes on my turnaround time,' the cabin manager told the plane full of passengers. 'Thank you very much for helping us.' The Daily Mail has contacted EasyJet for comment. Users chimed in with their thoughts in the comment section, many whom work in the airline industry. 'That's hysterical! Putting the safety cards at the front facing the right way does actually knock time off the turnaround,' agreed one user. Another joked: 'I thought he was going to say, "So you see the instructions for a crash landing, that's the brace position you all now need to take as the landing gear is stuck."' Someone else pointed out making sure to move on a flight can also help prevent deep vein thrombosis, which is a a blood clot that forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg or pelvis. 'In 2001 there was a lot of awareness of DVTS. I was on a flight and part way through Mr Motivator came on and made us exercise! No making us read though!' they quipped.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store