A Surrey man faces charges for his role in a £1.38 million robbery, claiming every man loves a watch during police questioning
Richmond: A man is accused of being the getaway driver in a £1.38 million robbery. Mannix Pedro, 37, and Junior Kunu, 30, are charged with conspiracy. They allegedly stole over 70 high-value watches from a jewelry shop last year.
The robbery happened on May 25 at Kettles 247. Office manager Oliver White was attacked during the incident. Sadly, he died by suicide the next day, linked to the robbery. Two other suspects, Michael Ashman and Kyle Bowrage, are still at large.
Pedro didn’t enter the shop but was involved in planning the robbery. He used a stolen Audi as one of the getaway cars. He was arrested on May 29 and claimed he worked in cars and clothing, denying any involvement with watches.
During his police interview, he said, “I think every man loves a watch.” He drove for hours after the robbery, with tracking showing he went from Richmond to Woking and then to Colchester, covering about 100 miles.
At 10:30 PM on the day of the robbery, his phone searched for an “orbital watch winder.” He was spotted at a service station later that night. By early morning, he returned home to Cobham, Surrey.
The next evening, he drove to Bowrage’s home in Rotherham, visiting Sheffield and Doncaster before heading back to London. Prosecutors say Bowrage and Ashman fled abroad after the robbery.
Detectives found searches for “Rolex watch dial” on Pedro’s phone just before his arrest. He also forwarded images related to the stolen watches. Both Pedro and Kunu deny the charges, and none of the stolen watches have been recovered. The trial is ongoing.
