Five men have been jailed for a vicious assault on an off-duty police officer and stealing his watch.

The attackers - Rodney Abrokwa, Christian Bangisa, Daniel Agyeman, Iraawoosan Alba and Shariff Fussaini – have been sentenced to a total of nearly 25 years following the “chaotic, brutal and sustained attack” in Harrow.

Harrow Crown Court heard how the victim had been at a bar in Rayners Lane on November 17, 2019.

He became aware of two men watching him earlier on in the evening but chose not to act upon it.

As the victim left the bar at around 3am, a man came up from behind him and looped his arms around his neck, pulling him backwards and on to the pavement. 

A group of approximately 12 people then rushed around the victim and began a frantic attack, smashing a glass bottle on the victim’s arm in the process.

During the rush, an individual snatched a chain from around the victim’s neck whilst another man punched him repeatedly until he handed over his watch.

A friend of the victim tried to intervene and help him but was immediately punched in the face and suffered significant injuries including a broken nose and a fractured jaw.

Another individual, not known to either the victims or attackers, approached the group and was punched and knocked unconscious, falling into the road.

The jury watched harrowing CCTV footage of the incident, which shows Agyeman pulling at the unconscious man’s pockets, apparently looking to steal any possessions on his person.

As a fourth male attempted to make his way through the crowd, the group turned their attention to him, pulling at his neck and throwing punches at him.

The man managed to escape without suffering any injuries.

As the suspects left the scene, the initial victim - the off-duty police officer - realised his warrant card had been stolen. Along with this, the attackers had stolen his bank cards, driving licence and Oyster card.

He immediately ran to a police station and reported the incident. He suffered injuries including bruising to his ribs, back and shoulders, which had to be treated at hospital.

Officers poured over hours of CCTV and gleaned enough information to identify five of the individuals involved.

On February 26, 2020, warrants were carried out at four addresses and saw the arrest of Abrokwa, Bangisa, Agyeman and Alba.

Upon searching the addresses, police found clothing matching the outfits the men were seen wearing in CCTV.

Fussaini was arrested the following day on 27 February at an address in Westcliff-On-Sea, Essex.

The men were convicted of violent disorder and robbery. They appeared for in court for sentencing on Friday, April 9.

Rodney Abrokwa, 31, of Great Cambridge Road, Enfield was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment;

Christian Bangisa, 29, of Fair Street, Southwark was sentenced to four years and one month’s imprisonment;

Daniel Agyeman, 30, of Sandfield Place, Croydon was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment;

Iraawoosan Alba, 31, of Fuller Road, Dagenham was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment;

Shariff Fussaini, 29, of London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

All five had pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Abrokwa and Bangisa also pleaded guilty to robbery. The trial found the other three guilty of robbery.

Detective Inspector Gavin Collins from the Met’s Operation Venice team, who led the investigation, said: “The CCTV shows these men committing a chaotic, brutal and sustained attack on the victim and others who were present on the night. It is clear that these individuals wanted nothing more than to steal valuable possessions from the victim.

"The attackers acted purely on their desire to steal a valuable watch, and yet the incident resulted in many individuals being physically harmed, and many more onlookers having to witness a truly disturbing incident.

“The Met takes violence against victims and its officers extremely seriously. The group became aware that the victim was a police officer when they found his warrant card.

"They subsequently continued to rain blows down on the victim and committed further violence against others in the area, demonstrating their arrogance and total disregard for the fact that they were assaulting an emergency worker. 

“I hope that knowing this group of men will be spending a significant time in prison provides some reassurance to the victims, and those who witnessed this awful incident.

"The Met and the judicial system will not tolerate violence in any form, not least when it is committed against a person who regularly and knowingly puts themselves in harm’s way for others.”