The close friend of a watch dealer said to have taken his own life after a robbery at the store he worked at was left "petrified and traumatised" by the incident.
Oliver White, 27, was placed in a chokehold on Saturday afternoon while a second man stole a number of luxury watches at 247 Kettles in Richmond, south west London, in a haul worth millions of pounds. Mr White, 27, a sales manager at the company, was found dead at home on Sunday in Shepperton in Surrey. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
His family fear he took his own life after the horror incident. A friend said Oliver was "traumatised". They told MailOnline: "Olli was petrified he could lose all that he owns and 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."
Oliver was placed in a chokehold during the ordeal (the London watch company)
Oliver's girlfriend, Alana Dredge, shared a tribute online (Instagram)In a statement released on Tuesday night, his family said they were devastated by the loss of their "beautiful, funny, loyal boy". They said: "Our son Oliver returned home from his place of work on Saturday traumatised and unable to speak.
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"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 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."
The tribute came after his girlfriend Alana Dredge shared the last photo the couple took together on holiday this month. She wrote: "My darling boy I can’t believe you’re 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."
247 Kettles added: "In his time working with us Oliver left a long lasting impact on the watch community as a whole - both suppliers and customers alike were taken back by Oliver’s vibrant spirit and kind heart and his loss is felt deeply by all that knew him.
Alana Dredge posted online tributes to her boyfriend Oliver White (Instagram)"Oliver had an incredible work ethic and a passion for pleasing customers. He liked to work around the clock and even out of hours to ensure customers were satisfied. He should never have been alone in the office on Saturday and that amount of watches should’ve never been on display."
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. We ask 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 officers were called to a location in Shepperton shortly after 8.15pm on Sunday following a report of a concern for safety.
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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