Amir Khan: Staring at a gun is scarier than boxing

Former boxing champion Amir Khan told how staring down the barrel of a gun was scarier than any fight when his £70,000 watch was stolen.

“I am an athlete, a fighter. I’ve been put in the most difficult situations, but that’s something different, that’s really very scary,” the 36-year-old said in court.

“When he put the gun in my face, I couldn’t see him because he was wearing a mask. I looked away because I didn’t want him to pull the trigger.”

The 2004 Olympics silver medalist told how he was forced to hand over his bespoke rose gold, diamond-set Franck Muller watch – a gift after a £60,000-70,000 boxing win.

He said he had been shopping in the Knightsbridge area while his “influential” wife Faryal Makhdoom was doing a photoshoot before the couple had dinner with boyfriend Omar Khalid in Leyton, east London last April.

“I spent about an hour in the restaurant. Everything seemed nice and calm. I took pictures with fans,” he told the jury.

“I put my hand on the door handle (of the car) and someone ran towards me and pushed me towards the car and I fell back onto the car.

“Next, I saw a gun being pointed at my face. It’s the first time I’ve seen a gun in my face and it’s obviously in the UK. I had to look away.

“When the gun was held in my face, I literally looked down the barrel. I was really scared. I have three children. My wife is also next to me. I was really scared.’

The retired boxer, who now lives in Dubai, said when the gunman said to “take off your watch” he did so immediately – because the gun’s barrel was only about a foot from his face.

He said: “After they were given the watch I saw them run away and then a couple of people ran over from the restaurant to see what was going on. I could see my wife screaming and crying.’

He said he comforted her but then wanted to leave because he didn’t want to be a victim.

But he said a bystander called the police and he thought, “I can’t go now.”

Londoner Dante Campbell, 21, has admitted conspiracy to rob and possess a fake firearm. Ahmed Bana and Nurul Amin, 25, and Ismail Mohammed, 24, all from London, deny conspiracy to rob and Bana also denies imitation weapons.

The trial in Snaresbrook Crown Court continues.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, Visit our news page.