Celebrity antiques dealer left bloodied in two armed robberies closes store and blames Sadiq Khan’s ‘scandalous’ failure to tackle violent crime in London
A famous antiques dealer has closed his London store after more than 50 years in business and accused Sadiq Khan of a ‘scandalous’ failure to tackle rising violent crime.
Ian Towning, star of Dickinson’s Real Deal and Channel 4’s Posh Pawn, said the mayor of London had “nobly let us down” after his Chelsea store was targeted in two armed robberies in recent years.
Mr Towning, 78, also said the rise in theft and fraud had ultimately led to him reaching his ‘breaking point’.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday after closing the premises, he vowed not to come back to the capital because the violence was getting ‘bigger and bigger’.
‘I think Sadiq Khan is a disaster for London,’ Mr Towning said. ‘Where are the police patrolling the streets? This is the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. I can tell you that our so-called Mayor has let us down.
‘All he cares about is cycle lanes and when someone is stabbed to death he wants to pay for more youth clubs. This is scandalous. “He’s a joke.”
Mr Towning, who grew up in Lucknow, India, has appeared regularly as an antiques and jewelery expert on various television programmes, and has run the Bourbon-Hanby store, an arcade on the King’s Road in Chelsea, with her husband Les Barrett since 1997, although she has been selling treasures at the Chelsea Antiques Market since the 1970s.
He added that he initially thought it would be ‘good news’ for London as Mr Khan also hails from Lucknow.
Antique jewelery expert Ian Towning (left), photographed with his partner Les Barrett, after their store at Bourbon Hanby Arcade on Kings Road, Chelsea, was burglarized
Mr Towning suffered head injuries after being attacked by hammer-wielding robbers at his Chelsea store.
‘When he was elected I thought: ‘Great, he might have the same priorities as me, you know, safety on the street, a tough stance on crime’ but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
‘People are being robbed all the time in Chelsea, handbags are being snatched, watches are being stolen, shops are being stolen and women are afraid to wear even the smallest pieces of jewellery.’
In 2024, Mr Towning was left bleeding when his head was hit with a hammer during a violent raid on his store and up to £365,000 of jewelery was stolen.
Security guard Mark Simmons was also left covered in blood after being shot.
Mr Towning, who lived with Mr Barrett in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, said: ‘They knocked me to the ground and kicked me on my left side. I couldn’t walk. The pain was terrible.
‘I’m almost 80 now and it’s hard to recover from such trauma. I was crying and having flashbacks. I couldn’t sleep.
‘Les and all my friends, family and colleagues were really worried about me. They thought I had reached my breaking point… and so I did.’
Explaining his decision to give up the store, he added: ‘I always said I would be executed in a box in the arcade. But I don’t think I’ve fully recovered from my last brutal raid.
‘How much can you get? How much will you endure?’
Picture: Footage obtained exclusively by the Mail on Sunday showed the moment Mr Towning was attacked by balaclava-clad robbers.
Mr Towning said: ‘I think Sadiq Khan is a disaster for London.’ Picture: Mr Khan at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026
Mr Towning had been held at gunpoint and hit with a sledgehammer during an earlier raid, leaving him deaf in one ear and knocking out his teeth.
Recently, thieves stole a gold disc signed by Michael Jackson, as well as a diamond ring, from a display case.
The 2024 attack also had a negative financial impact as insurance did not cover all the extra security costs needed to keep open the arcade, which rented space to other vendors.
“We had to suspend trading for a while due to the damage caused by the robbers,” Mr Towning said. ‘Everyone lost because of the spiteful greed of these brutal robbers.’
James Dixon and Thomas Loring were sentenced to 17 years and 14 years in prison respectively for the raid.
Both had previously been in prison for similar crimes, and Dixon’s return to violent crime came just seven months after his last release from prison.
Despite all the setbacks, Mr. Towning still hasn’t completely turned his back on the career he loves.
‘I may have closed the gym, but I’m still working, consulting and helping people source products,’ he said. I will not let violent, greedy criminals win the day.
‘And I still hope for the day when we can walk Chelsea’s Kings Road safely again.’
