Watch seller 'should never have been on his own' before horror £2.8m robbery
Watch dealer Oliver White's parents have paid tribute to their "beautiful, funny, loyal boy, who lit up every room he walked into".
A man found dead hours after robbers executed a £2.8million raid on a high-end shop "should have never been alone" with that amount of watches, his firm said, while his family believes he took his own life due to the distress the crime caused.
Oliver White, 27, was found at home about a day after he was held in a chokehold during the raid in Richmond, southwest London.
Mr White's distraught parents paid tribute to their "beautiful, funny, loyal" boy in a statement released via Surrey Police. They said he had been left "traumatised" by the robbery, which was caught on CCTV shared online.
The family's statement said: "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.
"We are desperately trying to make sense and come to terms with this tragic incident and plead that we are given the privacy to grieve without additional stress and intrusion into our lives."
Mr White's firm said he "should never have been alone" with that amount of watches on display.
Scotland Yard has launched a manhunt for two men who posed as clients before launching the shock attack.
Footage shows two men entering the 247 Kettles shop in Kew Road, Richmond. They sit opposite Mr White before one of the attackers grabs his arms and shoves him across the shopfloor.
The second attacker rushes to the shop counter, scoops up watches and stuffs them into a backpack worn by the accomplice restraining Mr White with a chokehold.
Surrey police confirmed Mr White died on Sunday, May 26, in Shepperton.
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The Metropolitan Police said his death is not being treated as suspicious at this time and confirmed Mr White as the victim of the robbery in Richmond on May 25.
Mr White's partner, Alana Dredge, posted a picture and tribute on social media. She said: "My darling boy I can’t believe you're gone. This was our last photo together. This was only two weeks ago and now I’ll never see you again.
"The last thing you said to me was I love you. I will cherish you forever, being with you was the best 6 years of my life.
"I hope you are reading this from up there, I will continue to make you proud".
Ms Dredge said the couple had been saving to buy their first home together and promised to buy the house he had wanted, dedicating it to him.
She then revealed that she was still sending Mr White WhatsApp messages, hoping the "nightmare" would end and he would reply.
His devastated partner said: "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 who could give me comfort like no other and make all my pain go away."
Anyone who recognises the two men in the footage or has information about the raid should call 101 or contact @MetCC on X/Twitter, quoting CAD4555/25May.
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If you need a response immediately, it’s best to call them on the phone. You can reach them by calling 116 123, by emailing jo@samaritans.org or by visiting www.samaritans.org.
