West Ham ace Andy Carroll hit ten cars in terrified high-speed dash ‘from gun robber’ who demanded his £22,000 watch, court hears
The footballer, engaged to former Towie star Billi Mucklow, admitted he “feared for his life” during the robbery last year
PREMIER League star Andy Carroll yesterday told a jury how he fled in terror from a gun-wielding biker who tried to snatch his £22,000 watch at traffic lights.
The West Ham striker sped off after the biker rode beside his Jeep at traffic lights and demanded his £22,000 watch.
The jury was played a recording of Carroll’s 999 call, made as the robber and an accomplice on a second motorbike allegedly pursued him through the streets as he raced back to West Ham’s training ground.
He tells the operator: “I’m driving and a motorbike is following me and he’s pulling out a gun. Seriously, I can’t slow down.
"He’s got a gun. There’s two motorbikes following me and he’s pulling out a gun. I don’t know what to do.
"Oh sh*t, I’ve hit loads of cars, I don’t know what to do, he’s just hit my car.”
The operator says to the panicked England star: “Stay on the line, we’re near to you now.”
Carroll replies: “I’m heading towards West Ham training ground I’m a West Ham footballer. I’m a Premier League footballer.”
Once at the ground in Chadwell Heath, Essex, Carroll tells the operator: “I’m going to get out of the car as there’s security at the training ground.
"I’ve probably just hit about ten cars on the way here.”
Carroll, 28, yesterday told the court he initially though he was the victim of a pal’s prank when the biker pulled up beside him at traffic lights and demanded his watch.
He said: “My window was open. He just said, ‘Nice watch’. I said, ‘Thanks’. I thought I recognised him. He had a crash helmet with his visor open.
“It was about ten seconds as I thought I recognised him and thought we’d have a conversation.
“I went to drive away and he said, ‘Give me your watch’.”
Carroll, who had just left the training ground, said as he pulled away from the lights he spotted a second motorbike behind him.
The 6ft 4in striker said the robber tried to pull in front of him so he did a U-turn and started driving back to the ground to see if the bikes followed. They did.
He added: “I didn’t know whether it was a prank or not.”
Carroll told the jury he had “feared for his life” — and made a pistol gesture with his fingers as he described seeing the robber pull what seemed to be a gun.
He added: “When I was driving back to the training ground the bike was in front of me and gave signals for the watch and pulled out something from his waistband and started pointing it towards me.
“He was wearing a glove and from the way he was doing it I thought he was holding a gun.
“I was scared, I didn’t know what to do, I called my partner’s dad. I was just panicked. He told me to ring the police.
“I was speaking to the police while driving to the ground, they asked where I was and I didn’t really know the names of the roads.
“I’m just driving back, he’s in front of me and I’m trying to get round him and he is slowing down.”
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Carroll, who jumped a red light during the chase, added: “At some point I’m on the wrong side of the road and he’s right behind me.
"There is traffic in front of me and he is behind me and they are trying to get me to stop and slow me down.
“I was beeping, weaving in and out of traffic.
"I came to a stop and he’s jumped off the bike, hit the car and tried to smash the window.”
Prosecutor Simon Gladwell told the jury: “Mr Carroll was on his way home from the training ground, he was driving his jeep when a motorbike approached him at a set of traffic lights and the rider said to him “nice watch”.
“Mr Carroll said ‘Thanks’, the rider had his visor up and the rider said ‘Give me your watch’.
“Mr Carroll pulled away as the lights were green and as he pulled way the rider pulled up to him again.
“The rider grabbed at his left wrist and gestured towards his watch.
“The rider put his hand into his waistband and pulled it out and extended it towards Mr Carroll like he had a gun.
“Mr Carroll couldn’t tell whether the rider had a gun or it was just his fingers as the rider was wearing black gloves.
“Mr Carroll accelerated away as he was scared did a U-turn and headed back to the West Ham training ground but both bikes followed him and he realised the threat was real.”
Jack O’Brien, 22, of Romford, denies attempted robbery.
The court was told a bike used in the robbery, a helmet and jacket were recovered from O’Brien’s home.
Michael Edmonds, defending, said O’Brien was not the motorbike rider although he had used the helmet and jacket in the past.
Forensic scientist Luan Lunt told the court DNA found in the helmet matched O’Brien’s. The trial continues.
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