District Judge Michael Snow said: “This is an appalling situation. I am dealing with defendants who have no right to live in this country.”
Algerians Adam Zawi, Oussama Fadage, and Aouidj Abderaouf (Image: Police handout)
A judge has blasted Algerian asylum seekers who claimed they “needed protection but repaid that by stealing from UK citizens” when they became full-time criminals. Adam Zawi, 21, who was living in a taxpayer-funded three-star hotel, joined Oussama Fadage, 35, and Aouidj Abderaouf, 29, in targeting office workers unwinding after a day’s work in central London on July 30.
The trio stole two rucksacks from The Walrus and The Carpenter pub and from Spanish wine bar El Vino The Olde Wine Shade. CCTV shows bespectacled Abderaouf, wearing a blue Adidas baseball cap, walking past the bar at The Walrus and Carpenter, spotting a rucksack on a seat, and taking it. Zawi arrived in the UK on a small boat, Fadage was smuggled in on a “ship from Rotterdam,” and Abderaouf overstayed his tourist visa, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
Zawi was staying in a hotel in White City, west London, at the time of the offences.
The defendants appeared in the dock wearing grey prison tracksuits and confirmed their personal details with the help of an Arabic interpreter.
Fadage and Zawi denied the charges but were convicted of two counts of theft after a trial, while Abderaouf admitted the offences earlier.
Prosecutor Frances McCormack said: “This was a joint enterprise. All defendants are seen on CCTV. Mr Abderaouf picks up a bag on the first occasion, and the other two help him remove it and walk away with him.”
She added: “More than £4,000 of items were stolen, including a £1,300 laptop, a £450 AirPlus 2 reader, and £300 Sony headphones.”
One of the trio pictured stealing a gadget-filled rucksack in a London pub (Image: Central)
Ms McCormack said: “After the first incident, Mr Abderaouf and Mr Zawi were seen leaving the pub and were immediately detained by police. Mr Fadage saw police, ran, and was detained nearby.
“In terms of the second theft, the victim said he was at the pub for work drinks and had £1,800 of items stolen, including a MacBook Pro.”
The court heard that Zawi has six previous theft convictions, Fadage has three, while Abderaouf had no prior convictions.
Nimrah Ashraf, defending Zawi, said: “He arrived in the UK in 2023 via a boat and has an asylum application pending.” She added: “He has nightmares, insomnia, and anxiety after losing both his parents in Algeria.”
James Pallant, defending Fadage, said: “He arrived in the UK in 2021 and was smuggled in from a ship in Rotterdam. He had very little money, wanted to rent a room for himself, and could not afford it.”
Keima Payton, representing Abderaouf, said: “He arrived in 2020 and overstayed on his tourist visa. He has expressed genuine remorse and comes from a difficult background after being placed into care in Algeria when his parents split up.”
District Judge Michael Snow said: “This is an appalling situation. I am dealing with defendants who have no right to live in this country. They claim they need protection, but repay that by stealing from UK citizens.”
“They went out with a plan to steal from people who were distracted while socialising. The return of the property has nothing to do with them—it is because they were caught,” he added.
Judge Snow sentenced Zawi and Fadage to 12 months imprisonment each and Abderaouf to 36 weeks.
He said: “There are no mitigating factors here. Mr Zawi must think I was born yesterday if he believes I accept he is 21. He is older. These three are committed criminals, and there is no realistic prospect of rehabilitation. Immediate imprisonment is the only appropriate punishment.
“Details of their convictions will be passed to the Home Office, especially since they have claimed asylum.”
An application to ban the trio from entering the City of London will be heard at a later date.
Judge Snow concluded: “Even if they serve half their sentences, the Home Office should consider deportation as a likely outcome.”
