The criminal who in 2019 tried to rob footballers Mesut Özil and Sead Kolasinac in Childs Hill (London) when they were playing for Arsenal has broken his silence after being released from prison.
Ashley Smith and her accomplice, Jordan Northover, were jailed four months later, with the former receiving a 10-year sentence.
“It wasn’t even a knife. It was a knitting needle. It didn’t go as planned.”
Ashley Smith, nicknamed Ashman, explained on the ‘BlueTick podcast’ that “we were driving and I saw Özil with Kolasinac in the G Wagon. I stopped and my partner tried to grab him… It wasn’t even a knife. It was a knitting needle. “We were too hungry. It didn’t go as planned.”
Sead Kolasinac turned to confront the assailants and prevented the robbery, while Özil left his vehicle and took refuge in a Turkish restaurant near the incident.
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We would have won at least 180,000 euros, easy
Ashley Smith
“But sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, you know? To be honest, I don’t even want to think about the numbers. We would have won 180,000 euros at least, easy,” he shared.
I’ve had some big hits and some small ones. It’s luck… You don’t know what you’re going to get
Ashley Smith
Ashman acknowledged that it would have been the most important blow of his career: “I’ve had some big ones, I’ve had some small ones. It’s luck… You don’t know what you’re going to get.”
He initially received a 15-year prison sentence for attempted robbery, but his guilty plea reduced it to 10 years.
