Richmond robbery: Two arrested after watch dealer assaulted
Two people have been arrested following a robbery at a jewellers in London, after police named the victim who was found dead the following day.
Two unarmed men assaulted Oliver White, age 27, before stealing multiple high-value watches from the shop in Kew Road, Richmond, on Saturday afternoon.
Mr White, who worked as a watch dealer, but was found dead in Shepperton, Surrey, the following day.
The Metropolitan Police said a man and woman, both in their 30s, were arrested in connection with the robbery.
The woman has since been released under investigation and the man has been bailed, pending further inquiries.
His family paid tribute to him in a statement shared by Surrey police: "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."
They added that they were "devastated" by "the loss of our beautiful, funny, loyal boy, who lit up every room he walked into."
The independent jewellers, 247 Kettles, said Mr White "left a long-lasting impact on the watch community as a whole," adding that he had a "vibrant spirit and kind heart."
The company also said that Mr White should "never have been alone in the office on Saturday and that amount of watches should've never been on display."
Posting on social media platform Instagram, they claimed the suspects had targeted the shop by posing as potential customers across a three-day period, and were "waiting for a vulnerability and the correct time to strike."
Detective Chief Inspector Scott Mather said "first and foremost, our thoughts remain with Mr White's family and friends at this unimaginably difficult time."
"We are working tirelessly to get them the answers they need and are making good progress with our investigation," he said, and urged anyone with information to get in touch as soon as possible.
In CCTV images released, one man wears a grey hoodie while the other wears a black and white T-shirt with sunglasses on his head.
The force asked anyone with information to call 101, quoting incident number CAD4555/25May, or to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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