The family of a watch dealer who was found dead a day after being attacked by robbers at a jewellery store have said that they believe he took his life due to the “anguish and distress” of the “terrifying attack”.
Oliver White was placed in a chokehold by an assailant on Saturday afternoon while a second man stole a number of luxury watches at 247 Kettles in Richmond, south west London. The total haul was said to have been worth about £2.8 million.
CCTV of the robbery, which was posted online before White’s death, went viral after it showed him being assaulted having initially been asked to fix a timepiece for the two robbers.
White, 27, a sales manager at the company, who was not seriously injured, was found dead shortly after 8.15pm on Sunday at his family home in Shepperton in Surrey. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
Police released images of the harrowing incident at a jewellers in Richmond (london_watch_co/Instagram)In a statement released on Tuesday night, his family said that they were devastated by the loss of their “beautiful, funny, loyal boy”.
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They said: “Our son Oliver returned home from his place of work on Saturday traumatised and unable to speak. He had been the victim of a terrifying attack and high-value robbery at his place of work, which was later shared widely on social media.
“Sadly, it is our belief that Oliver subsequently took his own life due to the anguish and distress of this terrible incident. As a family we are devastated by the loss of our beautiful, funny, loyal boy, who lit up every room he walked into.”
Police found his body as they responded to a callout to a property in Shepperton, Surrey (@lovelocks_x/Instagram)
His girlfriend Alana called him "my world" (@lovelocks_x/Instagram)The tribute came after his girlfriend Alana Dredge shared the last photo the couple took together on holiday this month and wrote on Instagram that he was her “whole world” and that “I will never stop loving you”.
She said: “My darling boy I can’t believe your gone… The last thing you said to me was I love you. I will cherish you forever, being with you was the best six years of my life. I hope you are reading this from up there, I will continue to make you proud. I don’t know how I’ll do life without you, my whole world has ended. My life will never be the same again I can’t explain how much I love you. I will never stop loving you — I’m so numb I can’t cry anymore.
“I have never felt pain like this, you were the only person that could give me comfort like no other and make all my pain go away. Now you’re not here I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
One of the men police want to speak to in relation to the robbery (the London watch company)CCTV appears to show White being put in a chokehold. A close friend of White told MailOnline that the robbery of £2.8 million worth of watches had filled him with worry.
The friend said: “Olli was petrified that he could lose all that he owns and that they might even take his mother’s house. He was also traumatised by what happened and became very fearful about the impact this robbery could have on his and his family’s financial future. He just didn’t know what was going to happen.” The Metropolitan Police has not made any arrests and has released images of two suspects.
The watch dealer thought he'd have to pay back the money lost during the robbery (the London watch company)The Met said: “We are aware of the death of a man in Surrey on Sunday, May 26. This is being investigated by officers from Surrey Police and is not being treated as suspicious at this time. In the event, they used a sledgehammer to smash our floor-to-ceiling windows and then shoved the safe out onto the road below. The man who died was the victim of a robbery at a jewellers in Richmond on Saturday May 25. We ask that the privacy of his family is respected at this difficult time and moving CCTV footage of the incident involving the victim is not shared on social media.”
Surrey Police said that officers were called to a location in Shepperton shortly after 8.15pm on Sunday following a report of a concern for safety.
A spokeswoman said: “A man in his 20s was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin are aware and are being supported. Inquiries are still ongoing, but his death is not thought to be suspicious.”
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