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Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary

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Coordinates: 51°31′10″N 0°06′30″W / 51.5194°N 0.1083°W / 51.5194; -0.1083
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The entrance to Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd at number 88–90, Hatton Garden

In April 2015, an underground safe deposit facility in Hatton Garden, London, owned by Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd., was burgled.

According to official sources, the total stolen had an estimated value of up to £14 million (equivalent to £20 million in 2023), of which only £4.3 million (equivalent to £6 million in 2023) has been recovered.[1][2] The heist was planned and carried out by six elderly men who were experienced thieves, all of whom were arrested, pleaded guilty and received prison sentences in March 2016.[3][4] Four other men were also tried on suspicion of involvement; three were found guilty and sent to prison, while the fourth was cleared.[5]

Burglary

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The underground fire in Kingsway which disrupted the area

The burglars worked through the four-day weekend of the Easter Bank Holiday, when many of the nearby businesses (several of them also connected with Hatton Garden's jewellery trade) were closed.[6] There was no externally visible sign of a forced entry to the premises.[7] It was reported that the burglars had entered the premises through a lift shaft,[8] then drilled through the 50 cm (20 in)[9] thick vault walls with a Hilti DD350 industrial power drill.[1][10]

The police first announced that the facility had been burgled on 7 April,[11] and reports based on CCTV footage (released by the Daily Mirror before the police released it) state that the attack on the facility commenced on Thursday 2 April.[11][12] The video showed people nicknamed by the newspaper as "Mr Ginger, Mr Strong, Mr Montana, The Gent, The Tall Man and The Old Man".[13][14] On 22 April, the police released pictures of the inside of the vault showing damage caused by the burglary, and how the burglars had used holes drilled through the vault's wall to bypass the main vault door.[15]

The theft was so significant that the investigation was assigned to the Flying Squad, a branch of the Specialist, Organised & Economic Crime Command within London's Metropolitan Police Service.[16] On 8 April, press reports emerged speculating that a major underground fire in nearby Kingsway may have been started to create a diversion as part of the Hatton Garden burglary.[17] The London Fire Brigade later stated that the fire had been caused by an electrical fault, with no sign of arson.[18]

Timeline

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colour photograph the pub where the heist was planned taken in 2019
The Castle public house, Pentonville Road, where much of the heist's planning took place.[19]
  • 1 April 2015: Electrical cables under the pavement in Kingsway caught fire, leading to serious disruption in central London. The fire continued for the next two days, with flames shooting out of a manhole cover from a burst gas main,[20] before being extinguished.[21] Several thousand people were evacuated from nearby offices, however local residents were left without food and electricity, and several West End theatres cancelled performances.[20][22][23] There was also substantial disruption to telecoms infrastructure.[24]
  • 2 April, 21:19: depository staff locked doors for the Easter weekend[11][12]
  • 2 April, 21:23: "Mr Ginger" descended to the vault, followed by three men pulling wheelie bins[12]
  • 3 April, 00:21: Metropolitan Police were informed that the burglar alarm had been triggered
  • 3 April, 08:05: gang members talked before going to their van and driving away
  • 4 April, 21:17: "Mr Ginger" went down into the vault, and was later joined by two other men
  • 5 April, 06:10: the gang members drove away from the bank
  • 7 April: Scotland Yard expressed awareness that a burglary had taken place[11]
  • 10 April: The Daily Mirror released CCTV footage[14]
  • 19 May: The Metropolitan Police announced that they had arrested nine suspects[25]
  • 1 September: Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company went into liquidation[26]
  • 28 March 2018: Another man was arrested[27]

Arrests

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Much of the early coverage was affectionate. No one had been hurt or threatened. It was a commercial premises, not a private house. Some of the people who had lost their diamonds and gold in the haul tried to explain that they kept their goods there purely for safe keeping and not to hide them from tax authorities, ex-wives or the police.[28]

Duncan Campbell, in The Guardian, 23 January 2016

On 19 May 2015, 76-year-old Brian Reader, who had previously been involved in laundering the proceeds of the Brink's-Mat robbery, was arrested in connection with the burglary by Flying Squad officers.[29][30] In November 2015, Carl Wood, William Lincoln, Jon Harbinson and Hugh Doyle were all charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property. The theft was described as the "largest burglary in English legal history".[31] Three years after the burglary, on 28 March 2018, Michael Seed, 57, was arrested after his home in Islington, London, had been searched. He was charged with conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to conceal or disguise criminal property.[27][32]

Sentencing

[edit]
Police at Hatton Gardens Safe Deposits

On 9 March 2016, at Woolwich Crown Court, three members of the gang, John "Kenny" Collins, Daniel Jones, and Terry Perkins, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary, were each given a seven-year prison term.

Carl Wood and William Lincoln were found guilty of the same offence and also one count of conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property, after trial. Lincoln was also given a seven-year sentence, and Wood was sentenced to six years.

Hugh Doyle was found guilty of concealing, converting or transferring criminal property. He was jailed for 21 months, suspended for two years.[33] Doyle was also fined £367.50 for his general criminal conduct in January 2018.[34]

The alleged ringleader, Brian Reader, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison on 21 March 2016.[4]

An eighth man, Jon Harbinson, was found not guilty and discharged.[5]

In January 2018, a confiscation ruling at Woolwich Crown Court ruled that John "Kenny" Collins, Daniel Jones, Terry Perkins and Brian Reader must pay a total of £27.5 million or face another seven years in prison.[35] Perkins died in prison in February 2018, just a week after the ruling.[36] On 14 August 2018, Daniel Jones had his sentence extended by six years and 287 days for failing to return £6,599,021.[37] On 1 August 2019, Collins was sentenced to an additional 2,309 days for failing to comply with the confiscation order. It was revealed during the hearing Collins had repaid £732,000 of the £7.6 million order. Enforcement action was said by the Crown Prosecution Service to be under way to seize Collins' remaining assets.[38][39]

On 15 March 2019, Michael Seed was found guilty of burglary and conspiracy to burgle and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the former and eight years for the latter, the two running concurrently.[40] On 1 October 2020, Michael Seed was ordered to repay £6 million in damages or face an additional seven years in prison.[41][42]

In television, film and radio

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The burglary is the subject of television, radio, and feature films:

Some jewellers have claimed that the heist has actually helped their business due to increased publicity to the area.[citation needed]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Catherine Neilan (9 April 2015). "Hatton Garden jewel thieves used heavy duty drill Hilti DD350 to bore holes into vault – but did not break into the building". City AM.
  2. ^ "Hatton Garden safety deposit box vault burgled". BBC News. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022.
  3. ^ "The Graying Thieves Who Nearly Got Away With a Record Heist in London". The New York Times. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Hatton Garden heist ringleader jailed". BBC News. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Hatton Garden heist: Three men found guilty over £14m jewellery raid – josh Faulkner was the ring leader". The Daily Telegraph. London. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  6. ^ Bonnie Estridge (17 April 2015). "How we got our Hatton". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  7. ^ Alexandra Topping (9 April 2015). "No forced entry in Hatton Garden safety deposit box raid, say police". The Guardian.
  8. ^ "Hatton Garden raid: Vault breached". BBC News. 9 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Hole drilled by burglars at Hatton Garden revealed". BBC News. 22 April 2015.
  10. ^ "How the Hatton Garden robbery was carried out". ITV News. 9 April 2015.
  11. ^ a b c d "Hatton Garden raid: CCTV images of 'audacious' raid released". BBC. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  12. ^ a b c Tom Pettifor (14 April 2015). "Hatton Garden heist: Detectives to quiz jewellery boss who was out of country". Daily Mirror.
  13. ^ Collins, David (12 April 2015). "Hatton Garden heist: Robbers returned a SECOND time after cops failed to respond to alarm". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Hatton Garden heist CCTV: Watch dramatic moment £60m gem raiders are caught on camera". Daily Mirror. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  15. ^ Martin Evans (22 April 2015). "Hatton Garden heist: First images from inside vault".
  16. ^ Rose Troup Buchanan (9 April 2015). "Hatton Garden jewellery burglary: How was the £200 million heist pulled off?". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022.
  17. ^ Rachel Blundy and Sebastian Mann (8 April 2015). "Holborn fire 'could have been deliberately started by burglars responsible for Hatton Garden jewel heist'". Evening Standard. London.
  18. ^ Ross Lydall (9 April 2015). "'Holborn fire wasn't deliberate,' says London fire boss after claims it was linked to London jewel raid". Evening Standard. London.
  19. ^ Cheston, P. (23 November 2015). "'Three Years to Plan £14 Million Heist". Evening Standard. London. p. 1.
  20. ^ a b "Holborn electrical fire causes mass evacuation". BBC News. April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  21. ^ "Holborn underground fire extinguished". BBC News. 3 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  22. ^ "Holborn fire costs London firms £40m: Full scale of damage and disruption revealed". The Standard. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  23. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (2 April 2015). "Holborn fire: Kingsway remains closed as firefighters continue to tackle blaze burning under pavement in central London". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  24. ^ Alex Scroxton (2 April 2015). "Kingsway fire brings down broadband services in London". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  25. ^ "Hatton Garden raid: Nine men arrested". BBC News. 19 May 2015.
  26. ^ Jamie Grierson (1 September 2015). "Hatton Garden safe deposit firm hit by gem heist calls in liquidators". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  27. ^ a b "New arrest over Hatton Garden heist". BBC News. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  28. ^ Campbell, Duncan (23 January 2016). "One last job: The inside story of the Hatton Garden heist". The Guardian.
  29. ^ "Brink's-Mat: 30 years on from Britain's most notorious gold robbery – Metro News". Metro. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  30. ^ "Father and son car dealers are suspects in Hatton Garden heist". The Daily Telegraph. London. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  31. ^ "Hatton Garden raid 'largest in English history'". BBC News. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  32. ^ "New charge over Hatton Garden heist". BBC News. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  33. ^ "Hatton Garden heist gang members jailed for a total of 34 years over £14 million raid". The Daily Telegraph. London. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  34. ^ "Hatton Garden ringleaders must pay £27.5m or serve more years in prison". Sky News. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  35. ^ "Hatton Garden gang ringleaders ordered to pay £27.5m". BBC News. 30 January 2018.
  36. ^ "Hatton Garden jewellery raider dies". BBC News. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  37. ^ "Hatton Garden raider Daniel Jones given more jail time". BBC News. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  38. ^ "Hatton Garden burglar John Collins jailed for further seven years over unpaid funds". Sky News. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  39. ^ "Hatton Garden burglar jailed for extra seven years after failing to pay back £7.6m". The Independent. London. 1 August 2019. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  40. ^ "Final Hatton Garden raider 'Basil' guilty of conspiracy to burgle". BBC News. 15 March 2019.
  41. ^ "Hatton Garden heist member ordered to repay almost £6m or have sentence extended". Sky News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  42. ^ "Hatton Garden burglary gang member order to pay back nearly £6m". Mynewsdesk. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  43. ^ The Hatton Garden Heist. BBC. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  44. ^ Fifield, Nicola (27 May 2017). "Michael Caine and Ray Winstone crook the part as they star as the OAPs behind £25m Hatton Garden heist". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  45. ^ "The King of Thieves – British Films Directory". British Council. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  46. ^ Griffiths, Eleanor Bley (21 May 2019). "ITV's Hatton Garden was supposed to air in 2017 – writer Jeff Pope explains the legal issues that twice delayed broadcast". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 October 2019.

Further reading

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  • Martin, Lonergan (2015). A Swiss bank & The Job in Spain. London: Amazon Direct Publishing. ISBN 978-1536885644.
  • Tom Pettifor, Nick Sommerlad, One Last Job: the Extraordinary Life of Brian Reader, Britain's Most Prolific Thief (Mirror Books, 2016)
  • Wensley Clarkson, Sexy Beasts: the Inside Story of the Hatton Garden Heist (Quercus Editions, 2016)
  • Nigel Cawthorne, The Great Diamond Heist – The Incredible True Story of the Hatton Garden Robbery (2016)
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51°31′10″N 0°06′30″W / 51.5194°N 0.1083°W / 51.5194; -0.1083

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