Two individuals have been sentenced to prison after a television antiques specialist was assaulted with a claw hammer during a burglary at his jewelry shop.
James Dixon, aged 43, and Thomas Loring, 41, targeted Ian Towning’s establishment in Chelsea in March, making off with valuables estimated at up to £365,000, including antiques and jewelry. Ian Towning, known for his appearances on ITV’s Dickinson’s Real Deal and Channel 4’s Posh Pawn, expressed to the BBC that he feels “fortunate to be alive.”
This burglary was part of a broader “campaign of thefts” across Greater London from March to June 2024, which also included assaults on cash-in-transit personnel, Post Offices, and a Poundland store.
Dixon received a 17-year extended prison sentence while Loring was sentenced to 14 years for their roles in a conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary.
As the pair were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday, Judge Marcus Tregilgas-Davey emphasized that the jewelry shop incident on March 26 was their most serious crime.
In court, prosecutor Rupert Kent revealed that Dixon wielded a claw hammer while Loring carried a sledgehammer.
When a security guard at the Sydney Street arcade, where Mr. Towning’s shop resides, confronted Dixon, the judge recounted how Dixon “struck him on the head with a hammer, knocking him down… and then kicked him.”
“Both of you then employed your tools in an attempt to break the jeweler’s front window, which was unsuccessful, before subsequently breaking through the locked door,” the judge stated.
Inside, both owners were present, and Mr. Towning, who is in his 70s, was reportedly hit several times with a hammer, the court learned.
Judge Tregilgas-Davey noted that surveillance footage showed the owners “cowering on the floor.”
He went on to say, “Dixon, you then punched Mr. Towning again before fleeing the shop with the stolen items, entering a getaway vehicle, and speeding away – it was an extremely audacious robbery.”
In a victim impact statement presented by the judge, Mr. Towning shared, “I have developed a fear of public situations… I often feel depressed and find myself crying uncontrollably when recalling the incident.”
The Chelsea robbery was preceded by an unsuccessful attempt to rob a Post Office cash-in-transit worker on March 11.
The court was informed that Loring remained in a getaway car while Dixon, donning face masks and gloves, approached the worker and struck him twice in the face “with considerable force,” as the judge described.
“As a result, the worker experienced anxiety, stress, and missed three weeks of work – the impact of the strike misaligned his jaw,” Judge Tregilgas-Davey stated.
On another occasion, the duo utilized crowbars to force open the doors of a Poundland in Sidcup, where surveillance footage showed “staff rushing away in fear as you approached, clearly shocked,” according to the judge’s remarks.
A singular woman was in the storeroom as Loring broke down the door. The court learned that the pair escaped with over £5,000, and the woman later reported suffering from flashbacks and feeling “terrified for her life.”
In June, the men targeted a Post Office on the Old Kent Road, where Dixon stole more than £8,000 and assaulted the postmaster, who claimed he was “struck so hard that I couldn’t physically get back up from the floor,” as revealed in court.
Following this incident, both men were arrested by the Metropolitan Police.
Dixon admitted to conspiring to commit robbery and burglary, while Loring was found guilty of the same charges after a trial.
The court noted that Dixon’s offenses occurred while he was on license for a previous crime. He had amassed 26 prior convictions for 50 offenses, with 30 related to theft and seven involving personal offenses.
Loring also had a record, with 23 convictions for 53 offenses, including 26 related to theft and one against a person.
