These are the terrifying scenes in which a TV antiques expert was hit over the head with a hammer after bravely confronting two thieves who stole more than £100,000 worth of jewelery from his shop.
The attack on Ian Towning, one of London’s best-known dealers, was captured on CCTV during the minute-long raid last Tuesday lunchtime.
He told The Mail on Sunday he believes his appearances as a guest expert on Dickinson’s Real Deal on ITV and Channel 4’s Posh Pawn made him a target.
“The doctors told me I’m lucky to be alive,” he said. The ordeal began when his security guard, Mark Simmons, 58, saw two men wearing balaclavas on a monitor outside the Chelsea store.
Mr. Simmons challenges them, but is hit in the head and knocked unconscious. The images below show the thieves trying, unsuccessfully, to break the reinforced glass of the main display case with a sledgehammer.
A CCTV monitor saw two men wearing balaclavas approaching the Chelsea store.
The ordeal began when his security guard, Mark Simmons, 58, saw two men wearing balaclavas. He is seen here challenging them.
The men walked past Mr. Simmons and into the store, trying unsuccessfully to break the reinforced glass of the main display case with a sledgehammer.
Les Barrett watches in horror as the thugs burst into the boutique and get to work.
Towning spreads his arms as one of the thugs mercilessly beats him with a hammer.
Towning said his partner Les “was trying to pin me to the ground to prevent him from hurting me again” during the altercation.
“I was lucky, my injuries could have been a lot worse, although I’m still in a lot of pain,” Towning said.
The images show the damage caused to the display cases after the hammer attack.
A close-up of the alleged thief’s face.
At the time, Mr Towning, 76, was on the other side and searching for a button to lower the steel shutters on the shop door, but it was too late.
Seconds later, the robbers burst inside and shoved Towning’s terrified partner, Les Barrett, 77, shouting “on the floor.”
Mr Towning refuses and tries to stop the couple from reaching an exhibition packed with £1 million worth of antique jewellery.
That’s when they hit him with the hammer, leaving him with a cut forehead and bruises.
Still he refuses to fall and tries to confront his attacker again, only this time he is punched in the face.
One of the thieves is then seen reaching into the shop window and stuffing gems, including a sapphire and diamond necklace, into a small backpack.
“I wasn’t going to let anyone steal my jewelry without a fight, that’s just who I am,” Towning said in an interview at his Surrey home after being released from the hospital.
Security guard Simmons was left covered in blood after Tuesday’s violent experience.
Blood is seen running down Mr Towning’s face after the violent attack.
Some of the horrific injuries suffered by Towning during Tuesday’s brutal attack
Stitches on the head wound suffered by security guard Mr. Simmons during the hammer raid.
“I was lucky, my injuries could have been much worse, although I am still in a lot of pain.
‘Les was trying to pin me to the ground to prevent him from hurting me again. But I felt great anger.
“It probably wasn’t until later that I realized how serious it was – the doctors said the hammer blows could have killed me.”
But he added defiantly: “Since the robbery, people keep telling us that now is the time to give up, but we are not going to let them beat us.”
The raid on Mr Towning’s shop, Bourbon Hanby Arcade, is an example of a disturbing criminal trend that has plagued London.
Downing said he believes his appearances as a guest expert on Dickinson’s Real Deal on ITV and Channel 4’s Posh Pawn made him a target.
The raid on Mr Towning’s shop, Bourbon Hanby Arcade, is an example of a disturbing criminal trend that has plagued London.
Antique jewelery expert Ian Towning, with partner Les Barrett, owners of Bourbon Hanby Arcade
Antique dealers across the capital have told how thefts have soared and blame highly professional gangs who use tracking devices to locate potential victims.
“Robbers can’t rob banks anymore because they’re too safe, so now we’re the ones on the front lines,” said Towning, who believes he and Barrett may have been followed by robbers several weeks ago.
Detective Sergeant Richard Hall, who is leading the investigation, said: “If you know anything or have witnessed anything suspicious in the Sydney Street area at the time, please report to police by calling 101 quoting CAD 2933/26 March.”