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.
Met PoliceZacariah Boulares was captured trying to nab the star’s mobile[/caption] Met PoliceAfter spotting the theft, Genevieve fought back against the thief[/caption] InstagramGenevieve tackled the thief to the ground[/caption]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.”
Prosecutor Alex Mullen told Isleworth Crown Court how she had suffered “significant emotional distress”.
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.”
Algerian national Boulares pleaded guilty to stealing the phone.
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.
Met Police She tackled the thief to the ground with the help of another customer[/caption] Genevieve played Clara Livingston in the third season of Bridgerton Central NewsBridgerton star Genevieve was relaxing at a coffee shop before the theft[/caption] Central NewsZacariah Boulares previously pleaded guilty to stealing the phone[/caption] Read More Details
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