Three men have been jailed for their involvement in a £1.1 million jewellery shop robbery in Richmond, south-west London, which led the store manager to take his own life the following day.
Kyle Mehmet, 40, Michael Holmes, 35, and Mannix Pedro, 38, were convicted of conspiring to rob over 70 high-value watches from 247 Kettles on 25 May 2024. During the raid, manager Oliver White, 27, was tied up and placed in a headlock.
In the aftermath, Mr White, in a state of distress, attempted to transfer £14,000 of his savings to his bosses. He later told his girlfriend he had been accused by a man of not putting up enough of a fight. He then disappeared and his body was found by a friend in a wooded area.
Paul Goddard of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “The greed of these three men has had considerable, and tragic, consequences. Oliver White, who was working at the premises, took his own life the following day as a direct result of the robbery.”
At Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, Mehmet, of Rotherham, was sentenced to 18 years; Holmes, of Sheffield, to 13 years; and Pedro, of Woking, to 20 years. The court heard the robbery involved detailed planning, including stealing a getaway car, using cloned licence plates, and having a changeover car ready.
