Thug who stabbed man over his expensive watch has become one of Britain’s most wanted men

An armed thug who stabbed a man over his expensive watch in a botched robbery has become one of Britain’s most wanted after fleeing the country.

Mark Francis Roberts, now 31, stabbed Mohamad Alkshaib in the chest after cornering him in the driveway of his South Liverpool home and trying to steal his BMW M4 car and £60,000 Richard Mille watch on Sep 30, 2016. Realizing the net was closing fast. alongside him, Roberts fled and was apprehended seven years later in Estepona, Malaga, on 10 May 2023.

This week marks a year since Roberts’ apprehension in southern Spain, which followed an intelligence-led operation involving the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Guardia Civil and Merseyside. An NCA spokesman said the arrest showed “once again that UK law enforcement is not giving up on finding those awaiting justice in the UK”.

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Roberts, who appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on August 4 last year, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and wounding with intent. Charlotte Atherton, prosecuting, told the victim in court that Mr Alkshaib was entering the driveway of his boarded-up home at around 1.30am on September 30, 2016, when Roberts and another man, both wearing black hoodies, ran towards he.

Ms Atherton said: “The defendant had and was holding a six-inch knife. He shouted “get out of the car”. Mr Alkshaib tried to lock himself in the car but Roberts stuck his knife inside. his hand. There was a struggle and Mr. Alkshaib suffered a cut on his hand.

It was then that Roberts, whose last known address was Freehold Street, Fairfield, noticed the expensive watch on Mr Alkshaib’s wrist and tried to steal it but was pushed out of the car by his victim. Ms Atherton said: “The defendant and the other man were standing approximately 1-2m apart at the time and had the opportunity to walk away but instead the defendant lunged forward and stabbed Mr Alkshaib in the left side of the chest.

As they ran away, Mr Alkshaib heard the defendant say “I’m cut”. Badly injured, Mr Alkshaib managed to crawl into his home and alert his family, who called 999. He was taken to Aintree Hospital with a 20cm stab wound. wound to the left arm, a 2 cm wound to the chest, a punctured lung, a 10 cm wound to the left abdomen, a laceration to the left hand, a fractured rib and a cut to the left forearm.

Mrs Atherton said: “He was out of breath and had lost a lot of blood so he was in fear for his life.” As Mr Aklshaib was taken into a five-hour operation, emergency services received a report that Roberts had fallen on the glass and suffered a cut to his arm. He was taken to Royal Liverpool Hospital and then Whiston Hospital, where he was reluctant to talk about his injuries. Mrs Atherton said: “The CSI attended the scene and took swabs. The blood found on the vehicle was identified as the defendant’s blood.”

Fearing that his blood splatter would lead the authorities right to his door, Roberts fled. Roberts appeared in a Most Wanted campaign run by the NCA, independent charity Crimestoppers and Spanish law enforcement which targeted fugitives with links to Spain and the Canary Islands. When he was arrested, he was the eighth fugitive brought to justice by the investigation.

Steve Reynolds, NCA regional manager in Spain, said: “Roberts’ arrest came after a sustained campaign to trace him and great work by the Guardia Civil. This is another excellent result and shows once again that UK law enforcement is not giving up. on finding those awaiting justice in the UK.

“Working closely with our colleagues at home and abroad, such as our much valued Spanish partners, we will continue to hunt down those on the run.”

Merseyside Police Detective Inspector Katie Coote said: “I hope this arrest shows that there is no hiding place for anyone on the run from the police. Thanks to our continued collaboration with the National Crime Agency, Roberts has been located and is now in police custody.

“These actions with our partners across the UK and beyond are to stop anyone who could cause fear and harm in our community and we will leave no stone unturned, no matter how long it takes to find people who are wanted in connection with ongoing investigations or crimes. .”

Lord Ashcroft, founder and chairman of Crimestoppers, said: “I am delighted that another fugitive has finally been caught and will no longer be able to avoid justice. Our Most Wanted campaign with the NCA – supported by the excellent work of Spanish law enforcement – ​​has been an incredible success.”

When he appeared in court last year, Roberts’ defense lawyer, Jonathan Duffy, said his client was now “a completely different man” and a father to triplets. He said: “The defendant at the time had no previous convictions for violence. It has been seven years since he committed the crime and during that time he has not committed any crime.

“Also, importantly, he was 23 at the time, but he’s 30 now and a lot has happened in his life. Since then he has remained completely law-abiding. He has a stable family position and is a completely different man than he was. September 2015. As serious as Mark Roberts’ offense was in 2016, the fact that it was an isolated violent offense and was not repeated, the fact that he was very young at the time, the fact that he changed in terms of his family situation… for all these reasons, the court should be slow to conclude that he is dangerous.”

Jailing Roberts for eight years, Judge Richard Pratt said: “It took five hours of surgery to repair the damage you caused. different and tragic outcome On this occasion Mr. Alkshaib fortunately survived and I am told he suffered no lasting harm.

“Over the years, you seem to have abandoned the lifestyle you had in your teens and 20s. You seem, from everything I’ve read about you, to be a devoted father.”

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