26-06-2025
Gambling addict who brutally strangled undercover cop for his pricey Rolex watch is jailed for life
A WATCH thief who strangled an undercover cop for his Rolex has been jailed for life.
Abdi-Rahman Khaliif-Ali, pictured above, targeted the unnamed officer who was posing as a lost drunk in a sting operation.
Khaliif-Ali, 27, pounced in London's West End, demanding he hand over the £45,000 Sky-Dweller.
When the cop revealed who he was, the thief grabbed his neck and put a hand over his mouth and nose.
A homeless man tried to intervene and a female officer was punched in the face while she detained the robber days before Christmas.
The cop, who had helped victims of the 2017 London Bridge attacks, said: 'I felt safer at a terrorist attack than I did during the incident.
"I realised I was on my own and fighting for my life.'
Gambling addict and paranoid schizophrenic Khaliif-Ali, of Ealing, had previously admitted assault with intent to rob and intentional strangulation.
"Yesterday he got a life term with a minimum of four years and nine months at Southwark crown court.
In 2018 he had been detained under the Mental Health Act for wounding with intent.
Judge Justin Cole told him: 'I'm in no doubt that you are dangerous.'
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