A man accused of taking part in a £1.1 million watch robbery told a court he was promised £5,000 for what he believed was a 'consented' raid, before a salesman involved in the incident took his own life hours later.
Junior Kunu, 31, claimed he was offered thousands to participate in the jewellery store heist in Richmond on May 25 last year, Woolwich Crown Court heard. The court was told that salesman Oliver White, 27, died by suicide just hours after being accused by the store's owners of not resisting the robbers during a tense meeting.
The Day of the Robbery
CCTV footage shown to jurors captured Kunu grabbing luxury watches while his alleged accomplice, Kyle Mehmet, 40, held Mr White in a headlock. The robbery took place at 247 Kettles on Kew Road, with watches including a Rolex Sky Dweller among the stolen items.
Kunu told his defence barrister Alan Kent KC that he 'hesitated' when Mehmet began manhandling Mr White during the theft. He claimed he knew Mehmet - who he referred to as 'B' - was going to grab White and 'knew it was going to happen' but was 'startled' by the violence.
'That's when I knew: just get the watches, this is consented,' Kunu told the court. The alleged robber said he didn't wear a mask, gloves, hood, any form of disguise or carry a weapon because he was specifically instructed 'not to have any of those things.'
Aftermath and Tragic Consequences
Following the robbery, Kunu said he got into an Audi A3 with Mehmet, where he emptied his pockets of watches before changing vehicles. He expected to be paid the agreed £5,000 and dropped off home, but was instead taken to a new location where he was patted down and told to wait.
Kunu told jurors he waited for around 40 minutes watching the FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Manchester City while sitting on the pavement. He eventually returned to his former partner's address, where she showed him footage of the robbery circulating on social media.
'My phone is just going crazy, people are calling asking about what I've done,' Kunu said. 'I was in a state of shock because I was told that the CCTV was nothing. I was told not to worry about the CCTV.'
Tragically, Mr White was found dead by a friend in woods near Shepperton where he played as a boy, just hours after the store owners confronted him about not resisting the robbers.
Courtroom Testimony and Denials
When asked about his reaction to learning of Mr White's death, Kunu said: 'I couldn't believe it. I was shocked - now I'm even more confused, I didn't know what was going on. I can't put into words how I felt.'
Under cross-examination by junior prosecutor William Cholerton, Kunu was challenged about whether he knew 'there was something risky' about being paid £5,000 for a morning's work.
'I don't perform robberies - that's not me, I don't do robberies,' Kunu responded. 'If I got told this was a real robbery I would never have been there. I would have said no for any amount, never.'
The court heard that Kunu was never paid for his alleged involvement in the jewellery store raid. 'I didn't want anything to do with it, I forgot about the money - someone's lost their life,' he told jurors.
The total value of watches taken was more than £1,160,000 and none have been recovered. Kunu, of south London, Mehmet, of Rotherham and Michael Holmes, 34, of Essex all deny conspiracy to rob. Jurors were told Mannix Pedro, of Surrey, has already been convicted of conspiracy to rob.
The trial continues.
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