Watch store boss denies ‘criticising seller who killed himself after £1,400,000 raid’ 

The proprietor of a London jewellery store has denied accusing a salesman of being successful connected a £1.4 cardinal raid conscionable hours earlier helium killed himself.

Store manager Oliver White, 27, was restrained with cablegram ties and placed successful a headlock during the robbery astatine 247 Kettles store successful Richmond connected May 25.

He was aboriginal recovered dormant successful a wooded country successful Shepperton, Surrey, by a adjacent friend, Woolwich crown tribunal heard.

More than 70 watches ranging betwixt £3,000 and £70,000 were taken from the shop.

Prosecutor Edward Brown KC said Mr White took his ain beingness the adjacent time arsenic a ‘direct result’ of the robbery.

Two men, Junior Kunu, 30, and Mannix Pedro, 37, person been charged with conspiring with others to perpetrate the robbery.

Kunu was 1 of the 2 men who robbed the shop, portion Pedro planned the raid, it is claimed.

Alleged accomplice Kyle Bowrage – who has since fled the state – had scheduled a gathering with Mr White truthful each the timepieces they wanted were available.

Jurors person seen CCTV of Bowrage putting Mr White successful a headlock arsenic helium is sitting successful an bureau chair.

Bowrage and different alleged robber, Michael Ashman, person since fled overseas and are connected the run.

One of the co-owners of 247 Kettles Conor Thornton said helium had known Mr White for implicit 10 years and thought of him arsenic a bully friend.

The store was equipped with CCTV, panic buttons, magnetic fastener doors, alarms and a fume system, but the watches were not insured.

This was contempt the company’s erstwhile store successful Egham, Surrey being robbed of £250,000 worthy of watches successful 2021 – erstwhile the watches were besides uninsured.

Police had besides warned the owners successful February past twelvemonth that their premises were astatine hazard of a robbery 2 months earlier it took place.

Mr Thornton confirmed Mr White had been made alert of the risks and some Mr Thornton and co-owner Joe Riley were successful New York astatine the clip of the raid business, but flew location immediately.

The brace arrived connected the greeting of May 26 and rapidly arranged 2 meetings with Mr White.

Thornton described Mr White’s demeanour that morning, saying: ‘He was inactive a small spot successful daze astir what had happened the erstwhile time but different than that thing excessively alarming.’

But Tyrone Smith KC, defending, said the gathering did not spell precise good and the owners became captious of Mr White.

He asked Mr Thornton: ‘Would it beryllium just to accidental those meetings did not spell precise well?

‘Other radical would enactment their limb astir and console them and look aft them.

‘Well wrong a fewer hours of the meeting, Mr White killed himself, didn’t he? Is it right, radical became captious of Mr White?’

Mr Thornton denied being captious of Mr White and denied ever suggesting his worker was progressive successful the robbery.

But included successful those questions were whether they asked Mr White wherefore helium fto 3 men successful who ‘looked shady’, wherefore helium had truthful overmuch banal retired and wherefore helium didn’t telephone the constabulary sooner.

Mr Smith past told Mr Thornton he suspected Mr White of being progressive successful an ‘inside job’.

He said: ‘I would suggest to you that the crushed you made the accusations similar you did is knowing the ticker concern similar you do, you are astatine a nonaccomplishment to recognize wherefore helium acted similar helium did and the lone decision you could gully was that this was an wrong job, and you told him arsenic overmuch didn’t you?’

Mr Thornton denied this.

Kunu, of Mitcham, southbound London, and Pedro, of Cobham, Surrey, contradict conspiracy to perpetrate robbery betwixt February 28 2024 and May 26 2024.

The proceedings continues.

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