Jail sentences for pair after TV antique expert’s Chelsea jewellery store robbed

Two men person been handed jailhouse sentences aft a TV antiques adept was smashed successful the caput with a “clawhammer” during a robbery astatine his Chelsea jewellery store.

James Dixon, 43, and Thomas Loring, 41, targeted cash-in-transit workers, Post Offices, a Poundland, and the westbound London jewellers successful a “campaign of burglaries successful the Greater London country betwixt March and June 2024”.

On Wednesday astatine Kingston Crown Court, Dixon was handed 17-year extended situation condemnation and Loring a 14-year situation condemnation for conspiring to rob and conspiring to burgle.

Dixon appeared via CVP from HMP Pentonville and Loring was successful court.

The brace stole up to £365,000 worthy of antiques and jewellery from Bourbon Hanbury, owned by Ian Towning – who has appeared connected Dickinson’s Real Deal connected ITV, and Channel 4’s Posh Pawn.

Judge Marcus Tregilgas-Davey deemed it the astir superior offence they were sentenced for.

On March 26, Dixon and Loring pulled up successful a car with mendacious fig plates adjacent the Sydney Street jewellers.

They wore look coverings and gloves and moved “at speed” into the arcade wherever the outlet is, CCTV showed.

Dixon carried a clawhammer and Loring a sledgehammer, authoritative Rupert Kent told the court.

A information defender approached Dixon who “struck him with a hammer to the head, which felled him… you past kicked him”, the justice said.

“Both of you past utilized the implements I’ve mentioned… to effort and smash your mode done the beforehand model of the jewellers unsuccessfully, you some past smashed done the locked door.”

The 2 owners were wrong and Mr Towning, who is successful his seventies, was struck aggregate times with a hammer, leaving a gash, the tribunal heard.

Judge Tregilgas-Davey said the owners were past seen connected CCTV “cowering connected the floor”.

He continued: “You some past smashed done the show cases taking items of jewellery and antiques.

“Dixon, you past punched Mr Towning again earlier you fled the store with the items, got into a getaway car and sped disconnected – it was a brazen robbery.”

It was initially estimated that £120,000 worthy of goods was taken, but Mr Towning aboriginal recovered it was person to £365,000, the tribunal heard.

The robbery progressive items of jewellery “of large fiscal and sentimental worth” including a necklace valued astatine £44,000.

Mr Towning said successful his unfortunate interaction statement, work to the tribunal by the judge: “I consciousness similar a wholly antithetic person, little tolerant and incapable to springiness radical my afloat attention.

“It’s near maine with a fearfulness of societal situations… I americium depressed and often outcry uncontrollably erstwhile I deliberation astir what happened”.

The justice acknowledged that Loring could beryllium heard shouting “stop, JD” to Dixon.

He added: “But that was aft the information defender and 1 of the owners had been struck.

“You, successful my opinion, knew that Dixon was the benignant of antheral that was capable, and so would use, unit to unafraid the theft of the items.”

The Chelsea robbery was preceded by a failed robbery of a Post Office cash-in-transit idiosyncratic connected March 11.

Both men watched the idiosyncratic instrumentality bundles of currency wrong metallic boxes to the Post Office.

Loring waited successful a getaway car arsenic Dixon, again wearing look coverings and gloves, ran up and punched the idiosyncratic doubly successful the look “with a large woody of force”, the justice said.

The unfortunate managed to support clasp of the boxes that contained astir £25,000.

The justice said helium was “left with a swollen and bruised face” and CCTV showed him “staggering aft the attack”.

“He was near anxious, stressed, and was disconnected enactment for 3 weeks – the unit of the stroke misaligned his jaw,” helium added.

In the aboriginal hours of May 9, the 2 men burgled much than £3,000 successful baccy banal from a Shell Garage successful Gravesend, earlier driving disconnected successful a stolen Skoda.

On different occasion, Dixon was seen connected CCTV adjacent a Poundland successful Sidcup, south-east London, carrying retired reconnaissance, the justice said.

The pursuing day, the men arrived successful the aforesaid Skoda extracurricular the rear of the store.

They utilized crowbars to unfastened the doors and CCTV captured “staff fleeing astatine your approach, they were intelligibly stunned”, the justice said.

“You some past made your mode to the bureau wherever the currency is stored, it seems important that you some knew the way to take.”

A lone pistillate was successful the storeroom erstwhile Loring kicked successful the door.

The brace made disconnected with much than £5,000 and the pistillate subsequently described experiencing flashbacks and having been “fearful for her life”.

In June, they attacked a Post Office connected Old Kent Road.

Dixon entered the store and ran up to the postmaster portion clad successful a look covering and gloves.

He took much than £8,000 from the store and punched the postmaster, who aboriginal said “I was deed truthful hard that I couldn’t physically get disconnected the floor”.

Dixon pleaded blameworthy to conspiring to rob and conspiring to burgle, and Loring was convicted of the aforesaid offences aft a trial.

Dixon’s offending was committed portion connected licence for a erstwhile offence, the tribunal was told.

He was fixed an extended condemnation of 17 years, which means the archetypal 13 and a fractional years volition beryllium successful custody and the remainder could beryllium spent connected licence.

Loring was handed a 14-year situation sentence.

Dixon had 26 erstwhile convictions for 50 offences, 30 of which were theft-related and 7 against a person.

Loring had 23 convictions for 53 offences, 26 for theft-related crimes and 1 against a person.