Hammer attack on London store linked to celebrity antiques expert

Three people were injured after a hammer-wielding man stole thousands of pounds worth of jewelery from a shop in west London linked to celebrity antiques expert Ian Towning.

this Metropolitan Police They were called to a premises in Sydney Street, off King’s Road, Chelsea, at 12.11pm on Tuesday.

Police said two men damaged property inside the store and stole thousands of pounds worth of jewellery.

Three people were injured during the robbery and were taken to hospital for treatment, police added.

Their injuries are said to be non-life threatening.

According to Companies House documents, it is understood the robbery took place at Bourbon Hanby Antiques Arcade, where Mr Towning was a director until at least January last year.

Mr. Towning, 76, emerged as an antiques expert ITVDickinson’s Real Deals and Luxury Pawns Channel 4.

He also has an active Instagram page that promotes new vintage items in his store.

He opened his first antique store at Chelsea Antique Market in 1976, followed by Bourbon Hanby Arcade in 1997.

A Bourbon Hanby employee told Sky News they had no comment at this time.

The store was also robbed in 2008 when three men armed with sledgehammers and a gun left Mr Towning seriously injured.

Towning said in a 2014 social media post that he received a call from a man who had attacked him six years earlier.

Mr Towning wrote: “He said he had changed, that he was just 16 at the time, that his time in prison (four of the eight years he served) had transformed him and that he was now married and had a job.

“Then he asked me to forgive him for everything he had done. I said I had moved on, I fixed my jaw, fixed my teeth, life goes on and yes, I did forgive him and I had no ill will towards him.”

Stuart Fisher, a chef at the Market Place restaurant, said CCTV showed him what happened on Tuesday.

He said the robber had what looked like a “claw hammer and a 5-pound hammer.”

The 53-year-old added: “Two guys came in and started smashing the counter.

“One of them rushed towards a man in the shop and hit him on the back of the head with a hammer.

“[The victims] Literally shivering on the floor.

“On the way out, the man tried again [at the victims] Then another man pulled him off. “

He added that the suspects were wearing masks.

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Mr Fisher said five or six police cars, including armed officers, were at the scene after the robbery.

He added: “The area has changed a lot in the past 20 years.”

Another store employee, who did not want to be named, said it was “very scary” to hear about the incident.

She said: “I don’t think anywhere London very safe.

“I’ve lived here for 20 years and I’ve never felt safe.

“I’m afraid to let my kids go out and play.

“[This is] It’s unbelievable that this happened in the middle of the day in London’s most expensive borough. “

Detective Sergeant Richard Hall, who is leading the investigation, said: “I would like to appeal to the public to help us identify potential witnesses who may have seen the incident take place.

“I am particularly keen to obtain any dash cam footage or CCTV from the local area at the time. This may help us find the suspect.

“If you know anything, or witnessed anything suspicious in the Sydney Street area at the time, please call police on 101 quoting CAD 2933/26Mar.”