Jail sentences for pair after TV antique expert’s Chelsea jewellery store robbed

Two men have been handed jail sentences after a TV antiques expert was smashed in the head with a “clawhammer” during a robbery at his Chelsea jewellery store.

James Dixon, 43, and Thomas Loring, 41, targeted cash-in-transit workers, Post Offices, a Poundland, and the west London jewellers in a “campaign of burglaries in the Greater London area between March and June 2024”.

On Wednesday at Kingston Crown Court, Dixon was handed 17-year extended prison sentence and Loring a 14-year prison sentence for conspiring to rob and conspiring to burgle.

Dixon appeared via CVP from HMP Pentonville and Loring was in court.

The pair stole up to £365,000 worth of antiques and jewellery from Bourbon Hanbury, owned by Ian Towning – who has appeared on Dickinson’s Real Deal on ITV, and Channel 4’s Posh Pawn.

Judge Marcus Tregilgas-Davey deemed it the most serious offence they were sentenced for.

On March 26, Dixon and Loring pulled up in a car with false number plates near the Sydney Street jewellers.

They wore face coverings and gloves and moved “at speed” into the arcade where the outlet is, CCTV showed.

Dixon carried a clawhammer and Loring a sledgehammer, prosecutor Rupert Kent told the court.

A security guard approached Dixon who “struck him with a hammer to the head, which felled him… you then kicked him”, the judge said.

“Both of you then used the implements I’ve mentioned… to try and smash your way through the front window of the jewellers unsuccessfully, you both then smashed through the locked door.”

The two owners were inside and Mr Towning, who is in his seventies, was struck multiple times with a hammer, leaving a gash, the court heard.

Judge Tregilgas-Davey said the owners were then seen on CCTV “cowering on the floor”.

He continued: “You both then smashed through the display cases taking items of jewellery and antiques.

“Dixon, you then punched Mr Towning again before you fled the shop with the items, got into a getaway car and sped off – it was a brazen robbery.”

It was initially estimated that £120,000 worth of goods was taken, but Mr Towning later found it was closer to £365,000, the court heard.

The robbery involved items of jewellery “of great financial and sentimental worth” including a necklace valued at £44,000.

Mr Towning said in his victim impact statement, read to the court by the judge: “I feel like a totally different person, less tolerant and unable to give people my full attention.

“It’s left me with a fear of social situations… I am depressed and often cry uncontrollably when I think about what happened”.

The judge acknowledged that Loring could be heard shouting “stop, JD” to Dixon.

He added: “But that was after the security guard and one of the owners had been struck.

“You, in my opinion, knew that Dixon was the sort of man that was capable, and indeed would use, violence to secure the theft of the items.”

The Chelsea robbery was preceded by a failed robbery of a Post Office cash-in-transit worker on March 11.

Both men watched the worker take bundles of cash inside metal boxes to the Post Office.

Loring waited in a getaway car as Dixon, again wearing face coverings and gloves, ran up and punched the worker twice in the face “with a great deal of force”, the judge said.

The victim managed to keep hold of the boxes that contained around £25,000.

The judge said he was “left with a swollen and bruised face” and CCTV showed him “staggering after the attack”.

“He was left anxious, stressed, and was off work for three weeks – the force of the blow misaligned his jaw,” he added.

In the early hours of May 9, the two men burgled more than £3,000 in tobacco stock from a Shell Garage in Gravesend, before driving off in a stolen Skoda.

On another occasion, Dixon was seen on CCTV near a Poundland in Sidcup, south-east London, carrying out reconnaissance, the judge said.

The following day, the men arrived in the same Skoda outside the rear of the store.

They used crowbars to open the doors and CCTV captured “staff fleeing at your approach, they were clearly stunned”, the judge said.

“You both then made your way to the office where the cash is stored, it seems significant that you both knew the route to take.”

A lone woman was in the storeroom when Loring kicked in the door.

The pair made off with more than £5,000 and the woman subsequently described experiencing flashbacks and having been “fearful for her life”.

In June, they attacked a Post Office on Old Kent Road.

Dixon entered the store and ran up to the postmaster while clad in a face covering and gloves.

He took more than £8,000 from the store and punched the postmaster, who later said “I was hit so hard that I couldn’t physically get off the floor”.

The Metropolitan Police said both men were arrested after the offence.

Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiring to rob and conspiring to burgle, and Loring was convicted of the same offences after a trial.

Dixon’s offending was committed while on licence for a previous offence, the court was told.

He was given an extended sentence of 17 years, which means the first 13 and a half years will be in custody and the remainder could be spent on licence.

Loring was handed a 14-year prison sentence.

Dixon had 26 previous convictions for 50 offences, 30 of which were theft-related and seven against a person.

Loring had 23 convictions for 53 offences, 26 for theft-related crimes and one against a person.