A man accused of tying up a watch dealer before taking £2 million worth of timepieces from his store has denied robbery.
Oliver White, 27, was found dead by suicide the day after the alleged robbery at the 247 Kettles store in Richmond, south-west London, on May 25.
Junior Kunu, 29, and an accomplice allegedly put Oliver in a chokehold and restrained him with cable ties before plundering the store’s stock.
Appearing before Woolwich Crown Court via video-link from HMP Thameside, Kunu, from Mitcham, south London, spoke to confirm his name before entering his plea of not guilty.
Nwanneka Aik, prosecuting, previously described the alleged incident as a ‘violent robbery’.
Kunu, who is set to face trial in November, was remanded in custody ahead of another pre-trial hearing in September.
Mr White’s family previously said in a statement: ‘Our son Oliver returned home from his place of work on Saturday traumatised and unable to speak.
‘He had been the victim of a terrifying attack and high value robbery at his place of work, which was later shared widely on social media.
‘As a family we are devastated by the loss of our beautiful, funny, loyal boy, who lit up every room he walked into.’
Independent jewellers, 247 Kettles, described Mr White as a ‘close friend’ of more than 20 years who ‘left a long-lasting impact on the watch community as a whole’.
In a statement, it added: ‘Both suppliers and customers alike were taken back by Oliver’s vibrant spirit and kind heart and his loss is felt deeply by all that knew him.’
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