Mark O’Neill, the former owner of the Cirencester Antiques Centre, was sentenced to 19 years in prison at Guildford Crown Court on Friday, 10 July, after being convicted of a series of serious sexual offences.
O’Neill, aged 61, pleaded guilty to 12 counts encompassing indecent assault and gross indecency. Additionally, following a trial, he was found guilty of four counts of buggery.
The Cirencester Antiques Centre, which O’Neill once owned, has been a prominent fixture in the town’s Market Place for 25 years and has gained national recognition through frequent appearances on both Antiques Road Trip and Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. The store’s website highlights its “rich and wonderful” history, describing it as “an Aladdin’s cave of room after room, packed with a vast range of Antiques, Collectables & Gift ideas.”
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O’Neill was appointed director of Cirencester Antiques Centre in June 2012, according to Companies House records; he resigned from this role on 25 May 2020, at which point Nathan Hanafin-Smith assumed directorship.
Under the terms of his sentence, O’Neill will be eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of his prison term and will remain on licence for four years upon release.
“The gravity of these offences and the impact on the victims cannot be overstated,” the court emphasised during sentencing.
The community continues to grapple with the revelations surrounding a figure once associated with a well-loved local business and television programme.