Three men guilty over Richmond watch raid linked to man’s suicide

Two men have been found guilty after a £1.1m heist at a south-west London watch shop whose store manager took his own life the following day.

Oliver White, 27, was put in a headlock and tied up during the raid at the 247 Kettles shop in Richmond on 25 May 2024.

More than 70 “high-value” watches were stolen and Woolwich Crown Court previously heard Mr White’s suicide was “a direct result” of the robbery.

Kyle Mehmet, 40, of Rotherham, and Michael Holmes, 34, of Sheffield, were convicted of conspiracy to rob on Wednesday. A third man, Mannix Pedro, was found guilty of the same offence in February.

Pedro, 37, of Woking, Surrey, was not in the shop but was “closely involved in the planning and execution” of the raid, including the use of a stolen Audi as one of two getaway cars.

All three men will be sentenced on a date yet to be announced.

Junior Kunu, 31, of Mitcham, south-west London, was cleared of conspiracy to rob.

In a statement, Mr White’s mother, Amy Keane, said: “We are all absolutely devastated with the loss of our funny, thoughtful and kind son Oliver; our lives will never be the same and we feel this loss every minute of every day.”