The parents of a watch dealer found dead a day after being attacked by robbers have said they believed he took his own life “due to the anguish and distress of this terrible incident.”
Oliver White, 27, was placed in a chokehold by an assailant while a second man stole a number of high-value watches at jewellery firm 247 Kettles in Richmond, west London, on Saturday afternoon.
The suspects posed as clients over a three-day period waiting for the “correct time to strike,” said his employers.
Mr White was found dead by police the following day in Shepperton, Surrey, following concerns for his safety.
In a statement, his parents spoke of their pain over the loss of a “beautiful, funny, loyal boy”.
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.”
His girlfriend, Alana Dredge, posted a new picture of the couple on holiday, paying tribute to “my forever love” on Instagram.
Today, 247 Kettles took to social media to dispute media reports £2.8million was taken in the haul or that they were uninsured.
“Oliver had an incredible work ethic and a passion for pleasing customers,” the owners said. “He liked to work around the clock and even out of hours to ensure customers were satisfied.”
They added: “He should never have been alone in the office on Saturday and that amount of watches should’ve never been on display.
“We have strict security procedures in place to prevent such circumstances.
“Unfortunately in these tragic events such procedures were not followed through no fault of anyone’s. Panic buttons, alarms, smoke screens and security doors are in place.
“The suspects targeted our store posing an potential clients across a three-day period waiting for a vulnerability and the correct time to strike.
“Unfortunately on Saturday the attempt succeeded in a violent robbery which Oliver was the victim of.”
In CCTV, the robbers can be seen at around 2.50pm sitting at a desk opposite Mr White, who appears to be fixing a watch for them.
One suddenly grabs him by both arms and violently pushes him into a corner, while the other then sweeps up large numbers of watches and puts them into a backpack.
As Mr White tried to wriggle free, his assailant held him a chokehold to stop him escaping.
The Metropolitan Police said the Flying Squad were investigating the robbery but no arrests had been made.
Detectives will be keeping an open mind as to whether the robbers, who made no attempt to conceal their identities, have already left the country.
Mr White’s death is being investigated by officers from Surrey Police and is not being treated as suspicious at this time.
Mr White had sent his girlfriend a series of WhatsApp messages saying: “You make me so happy, Alana. You are the perfect balance of everything I need.
“You’ve given me a new perspective on life. You genuinely are beautiful inside and out.”
Ms Dredge replied in March 2019: “I’m glad. I honestly can’t see my life without you and I wouldn’t want to either. U are everything and more to me xx.”
