Watch store boss denies ‘criticising seller who killed himself after £1,400,000 raid’
The owner of a London jewellery shop has denied accusing a salesman of being in on a £1.4 million raid just hours before he killed himself.
Store manager Oliver White, 27, was restrained with cable ties and placed in a headlock during the robbery at 247 Kettles store in Richmond on May 25.
He was later found dead in a wooded area in Shepperton, Surrey, by a close friend, Woolwich crown court heard.
More than 70 watches ranging between £3,000 and £70,000 were taken from the shop.
Prosecutor Edward Brown KC said Mr White took his own life the next day as a ‘direct result’ of the robbery.
Two men, Junior Kunu, 30, and Mannix Pedro, 37, have been charged with conspiring with others to commit the robbery.
Kunu was one of the two men who robbed the shop, while Pedro planned the raid, it is claimed.
Alleged accomplice Kyle Bowrage – who has since fled the country – had scheduled a meeting with Mr White so all the timepieces they wanted were available.
Jurors have seen CCTV of Bowrage putting Mr White in a headlock as he is sitting in an office chair.
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Bowrage and another alleged robber, Michael Ashman, have since fled abroad and are on the run.
One of the co-owners of 247 Kettles Conor Thornton said he had known Mr White for over 10 years and thought of him as a good friend.
The store was equipped with CCTV, panic buttons, magnetic lock doors, alarms and a smoke system, but the watches were not insured.
This was despite the company’s previous store in Egham, Surrey being robbed of £250,000 worth of watches in 2021 – when the watches were also uninsured.
Police had also warned the owners in February last year that their premises were at risk of a robbery two months before it took place.
Mr Thornton confirmed Mr White had been made aware of the risks and both Mr Thornton and co-owner Joe Riley were in New York at the time of the raid business, but flew home immediately.
The pair arrived on the morning of May 26 and quickly arranged two meetings with Mr White.
Thornton described Mr White’s demeanour that morning, saying: ‘He was still a little bit in shock about what had happened the previous day but other than that nothing too alarming.’
But Tyrone Smith KC, defending, said the meeting did not go very well and the owners became critical of Mr White.
He asked Mr Thornton: ‘Would it be fair to say those meetings did not go very well?
‘Other people would put their arm around and console them and look after them.
‘Well within a few hours of the meeting, Mr White killed himself, didn’t he? Is it right, people became critical of Mr White?’
Mr Thornton denied being critical of Mr White and denied ever suggesting his employee was involved in the robbery.
But included in those questions were whether they asked Mr White why he let three men in who ‘looked shady’, why he had so much stock out and why he didn’t call the police sooner.
Mr Smith then told Mr Thornton he suspected Mr White of being involved in an ‘inside job’.
He said: ‘I would suggest to you that the reason you made the accusations like you did is knowing the watch business like you do, you are at a loss to understand why he acted like he did and the only conclusion you could draw was that this was an inside job, and you told him as much didn’t you?’
Mr Thornton denied this.
Kunu, of Mitcham, south London, and Pedro, of Cobham, Surrey, deny conspiracy to commit robbery between February 28 2024 and May 26 2024.
The trial continues.