Victims of rogue jeweller 'coerced and groomed'

Customers and associates of a Brighton jeweller say they were persuaded to part with hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash and jewellery before he closed his shops and disappeared, a BBC investigation has found.

Turkish-born Mehmet Sever used to run Platinum Fine Jewellery and Crown Diamonds in the city's famous Lanes district, before both shops closed abruptly in December 2025.

Several former customers, employees and fellow jewellers have contacted the BBC to say Sever owed them money.

The BBC has approached Sever for comment, but he has not responded to our requests - while Sussex Police have confirmed they are investigating 34 cases of alleged fraud and theft.

Former customer and friend David Briggs, 73, said Sever persuaded him to part with £40,000, telling him the money was a business loan for the redevelopment of a shop.

Despite having loan agreements that the BBC has seen, Briggs said nothing had been repaid.

"He was trying to groom us," said Briggs. "He asked to borrow some money… he got hold of my arms and said 'let's go up to the bank now and you can help me out'."

Briggs said Sever lied to a bank manager in order to facilitate the withdrawal.

"We went into the bank and he made out that I was buying a ring for £40,000, because [the bank staff] wanted to know what the money was for," said Briggs.

"I was thinking, 'should I be doing this?'. I was coerced into doing it. It's a total lie."

Briggs said he struck up a friendship with Sever when he called round to sell him card machines for his shop.

"He seemed very professional, honest and trustworthy," he said.

"Five years ago, he seemed to become more friendly and say 'come in for a drink'.

"Then it got to a stage where I went in every Saturday and... he always had an idea to buy this or buy that."

Briggs said his partner Julia Gaitley ordered commitment rings from Sever in December last year.

The couple claim they paid £4,250 for them, but the rings never materialised.

"I'm very annoyed and upset," said Briggs. "All the things we've done for him in the past. He called us part of the family."

Briggs said Gaitley was also persuaded into a loan of £25,000.

"He came around here with flowers, champagne, wine, saying I've got all this jewellery in London with a bailiff worth £200,000," he said.

"[He said] If I give them £25,000, I will get all my jewellery back. And Julia did it on a credit card. So that £25,000 went straight in his pocket."

Notices in the windows of both jewellers say they were due to reopen in the new year but they have remained closed and shuttered.

Sources in the Lanes have told the BBC it is believed Sever is in now in his native Turkey.

Despite an extensive investigation, Sussex Police have not yet named Mehmet Sever as the man they are looking for.

Det Insp Jenny Pietersen, who is leading the investigation, confirmed that an arrest warrant is out for a suspect.

She said she had been "liaising with our partner agencies and Interpol" to find the suspect and bring him back.

"People have lost really sentimental pieces of jewellery - things that they've inherited, wedding rings, etc," she added. "So they've got real fundamental value to them.

"In my experience I think grooming is an appropriate word to be used... because I don't think you're willingly going to hand over substantial amounts of money to someone that you didn't feel that you had a relationship with."

Former employee James Algar, 31, who has learning difficulties, said he was not paid properly despite working for Sever for nearly three years.

His mother Ann said: "He's owed thousands of pounds.

"[Sever] has taken from somebody that wasn't even getting a minimum wage. How low can you go?"

Algar said he worked eight hours a day, five days a week, between 2023 and the end of 2025.

The BBC has seen payments made to Algar between May and September last year, with a shortfall of over £3,000 compared with the minimum wage.

Ann added: "It was £70 here, £50 there, sometimes just £30. And at the same time, he was taking money off James for jewellery that he bought but didn't receive."

As well as not being paid properly, the Algars claim James gave Sever over £1,000 to order a ring of James' own design.

"James asked him what happened to the money that he was giving him for the ring, and he apparently he said, 'Oh, I used it to pay some of my bills'," she said.

Jewellers in The Lanes have since clubbed together to have the ring made for Algar free of charge

One diamond trader told the BBC he might have to close his small business after dealings with Sever.

He claimed Sever was in possession of £23,000 worth of his diamonds when he disappeared.

Colin, who does not want his surname used due to security concerns, said the jewellery trade was like any small business and operated on small margins.

He said Sever abused the common jewellers' practice called 'on memo'.

It's where dealers leave their precious stones for a few days with jewellers so they can inspect and appraise them at their leisure.

"When I went to his shop to collect them, he's like, what goods?" said Colin.

"When I confronted Mehmet to see his CCTV footage, he just said it hasn't been working for six months.

"That's why I went to the police. The goods weren't mine, they were my suppliers."

Colin feared the shortfall had put him "on the brink" and he might have to cease trading.

"There's a degree of honour in our trade and trust, you know, and that disappeared and that hurts," he added.

The BBC has tried to contact Sever, asking about the loans, alleged underpayment of employees and taking goods from suppliers.

He has not responded.

The BBC has seen text messages Sever has sent some people since he left.

In the conversations he claimed his businesses collapsed and he was "heartbroken".

He claimed to be in several places, including Istanbul, Birmingham and, at times, in hospital.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.