Cause of death of watch dealer found dead hours after robber held him by the head

A watch dealer found dead hours after being robbed at work “took his own life” as a result of the “anger and distress” of the raid, his family believe. Oliver White died at his family home in Shepperton Middlesex just a day after thieves raided the jewelery store stealing dozens of high-end timepieces.

Horrifying footage captured the moment the two men raided the 247 Kettles store in Richmond, Surrey. One choked Oliver to restrain him while the other took a large number of watches and then placed them in the backpack of the man holding the young sales manager.

Now his family have paid tribute to the 27-year-old following his death on Sunday. And they revealed the trauma their son suffered during the raid, saying he returned home “unable to speak”.

In a statement, they said: “Our son Oliver returned home from work on Saturday traumatized and unable to speak. He was the victim of a terrifying attack and high-value robbery at his workplace, which was later shared. widely on social media.

“Sadly, we believe Oliver subsequently took his own life due to the pain and suffering caused by this terrible incident. As a family we are devastated by the loss of our beautiful, funny and loyal boy who lit up every room he entered.

“We are desperately trying to make sense of and come to terms with this tragic incident and plead that we be given the privacy to grieve without additional stress and intrusion into our lives.”

It also emerged on Wednesday that Oliver should not have been alone in the shop on the day of the raid. Posting on his Instagram page 247, Kettles said the thieves had been posing as customers for a three-day period before Saturday’s raid.

In his post, he paid tribute to Oliver writing: “It is with deep sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of our beloved Oliver, who was a close friend for over 20 years before working with us at 247 Kettles . along with us, Oliver has left a lasting impact on the watch community as a whole – suppliers and customers alike have been taken back by Oliver’s vibrant spirit and kind heart, and his loss is deeply felt by all who knew him. – they met.

“We are further troubled by so many misrepresentations circulating on social media and the press regarding insurance, stock value and security in place. We would like to clarify all the above points in these articles are simply untrue.

“Oliver had an incredible work ethic and a passion for pleasing his customers. He enjoyed working around the clock and even after hours to make sure customers were happy. He should never have been alone in the office on Saturdays and that amount of hours should’ never have been exposed.

“We have strict security procedures to prevent such circumstances. Unfortunately, in these tragic events, such procedures were not followed through no one’s fault. Panic buttons, alarms, smoke screens and security doors are in place.

“The suspects targeted our store posing as potential customers over a three-day period, waiting for a vulnerability and the right moment to strike. Unfortunately, on Saturday, the attempt succeeded in a violent robbery of which Oliver was the victim.

“We would appreciate it if the false rumors could be stopped to allow both friends and family to grieve without further stress and intrusion. As a business, we will be temporarily closed to mourn the loss of our friend. Any messages/requests will be taken from us. Our thoughts are with all of Oliver’s family at this time.”

Police are still hunting the two attackers following the robbery at around 2.50pm on Saturday 25 May in Kew Road. They said the two men, who were not armed, entered the store and assaulted a member of staff before stealing a quantity of high-value watches.

At the time, they said the staff member was not seriously injured. Anyone who recognizes these two men or has information that could help police is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC quoting CAD4555/25May. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.