UK Edition
Footballer Andy Carroll describes fearing for his life after 'gun point' watch robbery
A Premier League footballer has described how he feared for his life after a suspected armed robber riding motorbike attempted to steal his £22,000 watch.
West Ham United striker, Andy Carroll, 28, was driving back from training with his teammates, when he was chased by two motorcycles.
The 6ft 4 in footballer said he initially thought he was being subjected to a prank, until he saw one of the men pull what he thought was a gun.
Jack O'Brien, 22, is accused of attempting to rob the footballer on November 2 last year.
Opening the case at Basildon Crown Court, Simon Gladwell, prosecuting, told the court how two bikers had chased Mr Carroll after one approached him at a set of traffic lights in Romford Road, Hainault, east London, demanding his watch.
Mr Carroll told the jury: "I just pulled up at the traffic lights, my window was open, a bike pulled up next to me and said 'Nice watch'."
He said he replied "thanks" and told the court he thought he recognised the biker as a friend, boxer, Kevin Mitchell.
Mr Carroll explained: "He had his crash helmet on with his visor up. I stared at him for about 10 seconds as I thought I recognised him and thought he was going to have a conversation."
He continued: "I went to drive away and he said 'Give me your watch'."
He said he was unsure whether it was a joke, but when he did a U-turn, both bikes turned and followed him.
Mr Carroll, who was wearing a dark blue shirt, blue jeans and trainers, used his hands to show jurors how the biker allegedly used a gun gesture.
He told the court: "When I was driving back towards 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."
He went on: "I was weaving in and out of traffic and I came to a stop and he's jumped off the bike hit the car and tried to smash the window."
In a frantic 999 call, which was played to the jury, the footballer, who has won nine England caps, could be heard reliving the terrifying ordeal.
He told the police call handler: "There's two motorbikes, one's behind me, pulling out a gun, I don't know what to do."
As car horns could be heard in the background, Mr Carroll was heard to say: "I've hit loads of cars, I don't know what to do, he's just hit my car."
In the 999 call, Mr Carroll told the handler: "I'm a Premier League footballer", and was reassured that police were on their way.
The player eventually arrived back at West Ham United's training ground where there were security staff on duty.
Michael Edmonds, defending, said Mr O'Brien, from Romford, east London, was not the motorbike rider.
He said while Mr O'Brien had used the bike, jacket and helmet for crime before, he had not been on the motorbike on this occasion.
Forensic scientist, Luan Lunt, was asked to examine a crash helmet and Ducati motorbike jacket linked to the incident.
She told the court a DNA profile found in the helmet matched Mr O'Brien's DNA profile and that the chances of it originating from somebody else were one in a billion.
She said "a minor trace of DNA" had been detected from at least two other individuals in the jacket, and DNA from at least four people was found in the jacket, but that Mr O'Brien was the "major contributor".
Mr Edmonds, defending, asked Miss Lunt: "DNA can't be dated, can it?"
She replied "no", adding: "I can't give you a specific time or date when this DNA was deposited.
The trial, estimated to last three days, continues.