Celebrity antiques dealer who has starred on TV alongside David Dickinson is ... trends now
Celebrity antiques dealer Ian Towning was the victim of a violent robbery by hammer-wielding thugs who stole thousands of pounds of jewellery from his store, MailOnline can reveal.
The 73-year-old, who has appeared on TV shows Dickinson's Real Deal and Posh Pawn as a guest expert, was among three people who were injured after the robbers stormed into a small arcade in Chelsea, West London.
He was behind the counter of the Bourbon Hanby Arcade – which specialises in expensive antique jewellery – when the men burst in.
Police said three people on the premises sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the raid on Tuesday just after noon.
The raiders, wielding hammers and machetes, got away with thousands of pounds worth of jewellery and antiques after smashing glass display cabinets containing the gems and silverware.
Celebrity antiques dealer Ian Towning, 73, who has appeared on TV shows Dickinson's Real Deal and Posh Pawn as a guest expert, was among three people who were injured after the robbers stormed into a small arcade in Chelsea
Towning was behind the counter of the Bourbon Hanby Arcade – which specialises in expensive antique jewellery – when the men burst in
CCTV cameras on the outside of the arcade in Sydney Street and CCTV inside the shop would have captured the terrifying raid.
A neighbouring business owner said the police had taken away the CCTV footage.
He said:' I wasn't here but it sounded absolutely terrifying for Ian and the people who were in the store.'
Police are appealing for dashcam footage from motorists who might have captured the raiders leaving the store.
Towning's store is known as the 'jewel in the crown' in the King's Road area, the fashionable street in London that was at the heart of the Swinging Sixties.
As an expert in vintage jewellery, he made regular appearances on the ITV series 'Dickinson's Real Deal' alongside perma tanned presenter David
