Michael Holmes, Kyle Mehmet: South Yorkshire men jailed over £1.1m heist linked to manager's suicide
Two South Yorkshire men have been jailed for more than 30 years over a £1.1 million jewellery shop robbery which, a court heard, led its manager to take his own life.
The robbery was carried out at a luxury watch shop in the affluent London borough of Richmond.
It was carried out by a trio of robbers, two of whom visited the store on Kew Road and filled a rucksack with high-value watches.
During the robbery, the two men who visited the store tied up Oliver White, who was working there.
Sadly, the 27-year-old took his own life the following day as a result of the trauma.
The men were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday (February 6, 2026) for conspiracy to rob:
Detective Constable Tom Waller of the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad, who led the investigation, said: "Throughout this investigation Oliver has been in our thoughts and we have remained committed to securing justice for his family.
“His death is a tragic reminder that crimes such as robbery have a significant impact on victims.
"This was an audacious robbery that was several months in the planning.
“Due to the dedication and excellent detective work of our officers, we were able to track these dangerous criminals down and bring them before for the courts."
On 25 May 2024 Mehmet and another man visited the jewellers in Kew Road in Richmond after making an appointment with the owner.
After initially appearing to be normal customers, they tied Oliver up before filling a rucksack with high-value watches.
The Met was called and officers began an investigation. They recovered CCTV from the jewellers which had captured the incident. By working back, they were able to identify the car the men had arrived in from Acton.
Along with phone data, officers used this evidence to link the two men to three others they believed had been involved in planning the robbery.