25-year-old Liam Williams from Bootle, Merseyside was cleared of robbing McLaren’s Lando Norris of a rare £144,000 designer watch outside London’s Wembley Stadium.
As he walked to his vehicle in the VIP car park outside the sports venue, Norris was placed in a headlock while another man ripped the watch, one of only five in the world, off the driver’s wrist.
The RM6702 was the one version of the watch made with a blue strap that had been designed specifically to fit the McLaren driver’s wrist, Harrow Crown Court was told.
After the robbery, police found DNA on Norris’ arm, which led them to Williams, who denied the theft.
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Williams offered no explanation for how his DNA got on Norris’ arm, claiming he had only travelled to London on the day of the match in the hope he could get into the venue to watch the final.
He also failed to give police details for three men he travelled to London with, claiming he’s no longer in communication with them.
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Williams claimed he was subjected to threats from the other men who he had travelled with, telling him to not mention the watch and keep his “mouth shut and say no more.”
“When I got arrested, I changed my phone number… I was a bit scared I was getting threats and stuff,” Williams said.
After a week-long trial and two hours of deliberations, the jury cleared Williams of the theft.