Rolex watch thrown on roof to wind-up Basildon robber

A quick-thinking business owner has described the moment he threw his £10,000 Rolex watch on to a roof to stop it being stolen.

Mark Ewart, 57, was leaving work in Basildon, Essex, when he was threatened by a knifeman demanding his designer watch.

As he took it off his wrist, he surprised the robber by lobbing it on to a nearby roof.

The attacker, believed to be in his 20s, fled the scene after managing to get away with Mr Ewart's laptop.

"I feared for my life, that I could get seriously hurt," said the victim.

He said he had since put the watch, which still worked, in a safety deposit box.

Essex Police is appealing for witnesses to the robbery on Monday evening.