0:00:02 > 0:00:07It's the biggest burglary in British history. What they were doing really
0:00:08 > 0:00:08was something beyond history. What they were doing really
0:00:09 > 0:00:12attempted before. It is a history. What they were doing really
0:00:14 > 0:00:16screenplay. ?14 million worth of jewellery, gemstones and gold stolen
0:00:17 > 0:00:23from the heart of the UK diamond industry. That's a bit special. Make
0:00:24 > 0:00:29no mistake, they didn't think they would get caught. After today's
0:00:30 > 0:00:34verdict which saw three more members of the gang responsible sent down,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39this is the full inside story of how they pulled off last Easter's
0:00:40 > 0:00:44record-breaking heist. The way it played out was very story. They did
0:00:45 > 0:00:53a lot of intelligence, these are not morons. With exclusive access to the
0:00:54 > 0:00:58elite flying squad. It became apparent it was a job for us. And
0:00:59 > 0:00:04their dramatic investigation. They didn't know we were following them
0:01:05 > 0:01:07so it with a gold mine of evidence. Including never seen before
0:01:08 > 0:01:17surveillance of the thieves roasting of what they had done. I'm a rock
0:01:18 > 0:01:21star. These were white working-class guys committing crime, it was old
0:01:22 > 0:01:25school. And the moment loot was discovered in a cemetery. They
0:01:26 > 0:01:29thought it was full proof and they would get away with it. In their
0:01:30 > 0:01:32minds they have an audacious, cunning, sophisticated plot that
0:01:33 > 0:01:37would net them considerable wealth cunning, sophisticated plot that
0:01:38 > 0:01:43and the dude us that goes with it. A classic caper from a bygone Iraq.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49When you're in there, it is like a kid at Christmas -- from a bygone
0:01:50 > 0:01:54era. When cops and robbers played cat and mouse each trying to
0:01:55 > 0:01:58outsmart the other this is the definitive story of the Bad Dad's
0:01:59 > 0:02:09Army and the Hatton Garden heist. So who could have possibly pulled
0:02:11 > 0:02:17off Britain's biggest jewellery heist? Organised crime routes
0:02:18 > 0:02:21off Britain's biggest jewellery Russia or Eastern Europe? Nobody
0:02:22 > 0:02:25expected it to be a group of old men in their 60s and 70s. I was quite
0:02:26 > 0:02:32surprised, they were elderly but career criminals. It was one last
0:02:33 > 0:02:38hurrah for them and it was their pension pot. The greed was there,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43they thought they were invincible and arrogance kicked in and they had
0:02:44 > 0:02:48an opportunity for one last hurrah. I think you can compare it with old
0:02:49 > 0:02:52boxers, they retire but they get an offer to go back in the ring one
0:02:53 > 0:02:58more time for a big prize and this was a big prize. Together the gang
0:02:59 > 0:03:03conspired to break into a vault in the centre of London's
0:03:04 > 0:03:06conspired to break into a vault in trade. To take on such an audacious
0:03:07 > 0:03:12job would need experienced thieves with previous form -- jewellery
0:03:13 > 0:03:24trade. First up, Brian Reader, the master. Aged 76, the old man of the
0:03:25 > 0:03:29gang. As early as 2012 he started banning the Hatton Garden heist.
0:03:30 > 0:03:37He's been described as the guvnor, the master, he would see himself at
0:03:38 > 0:03:40top of the tree. A career criminal, previous convictions, notably for
0:03:41 > 0:03:48being involved in the Brink's-Mat robbery. In 1983, six armed
0:03:49 > 0:03:52being involved in the Brink's-Mat stole gold, cash and jewellery from
0:03:53 > 0:03:56a warehouse at Heathrow Airport. Reader's involvement in the
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Brink's-Mat theft was an indication of the same sort of desire to carry
0:04:02 > 0:04:07out the big dramatic crime that net him remembered. Read it was
0:04:08 > 0:04:15sentenced to eight years for handling stolen bullion. -- Reader.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20He was the master, he identified the skills required for this enterprise
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and it is his contacts in the criminal underworld that would have
0:04:35 > 0:04:44put the team together. Next, they needed a lookout. 74-year-old John
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Kenny Collins. He would wreck the Hatton Garden to check out the
0:04:50 > 0:04:56permits this. He would also be the all-important getaway driver and was
0:04:57 > 0:05:00again a man with form. John Collins, convicted of robbery on two
0:05:01 > 0:05:05occasions, the second was armed robbery. He also has a significant
0:05:06 > 0:05:16common law passed. Daniel Jones was the muscle, at the heart but
0:05:17 > 0:05:21extensive banning. He was an organised criminal, he has spent a
0:05:22 > 0:05:27certain amount of time in prison, he is younger and fitter and he brings
0:05:28 > 0:05:32that to the group. 67-year-old Terence Perkins would take on
0:05:33 > 0:05:37responsibility for the drilling and he also has form and was jailed for
0:05:38 > 0:05:49Wendy two years. He was arrested in the early 80s. -- 22 years. Six
0:05:50 > 0:05:55males went in with sawn off shotguns and stole almost ?7 million so he
0:05:56 > 0:06:04has considerable history. And redhead Basil. A mysterious
0:06:05 > 0:06:12character. His true identity is unknown and he remains at large.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18Basil is the name given to him by the co-defendants, whether that is
0:06:19 > 0:06:19Basil is the name given to him by his real name or not will soon be
0:06:20 > 0:06:26established we hope. Each had their role to play. You have the four main
0:06:27 > 0:06:30players who have the background and connections and the network in the
0:06:31 > 0:06:36underworld that can put these components together. Within criminal
0:06:37 > 0:06:40gangs we note that people have different responsibilities but
0:06:41 > 0:06:43psychologically people play different roles, people are
0:06:44 > 0:06:48important in different roles, people are
0:06:49 > 0:06:51together in different ways. The success of the gang is dependent on
0:06:52 > 0:06:58getting that delicate talents just right. -- balance.
0:06:59 > 0:07:06Over pints in The Castle pub in Islington North London, the men
0:07:07 > 0:07:17would spend hours potting them master plan, to pull off an
0:07:18 > 0:07:17audacious heist full sub they boasted
0:07:18 > 0:07:24They are looking at tremendous wealth and also towards laying down
0:07:25 > 0:07:29the bragging rights within the criminal fraternity of committing
0:07:30 > 0:07:37and getting away with Britain's biggest heist. This is our target.
0:07:38 > 0:07:50It's a bold in the heart of Hatton Garden. -- vault. Our man gets as in
0:07:51 > 0:08:00through the front door. That is Basil. He gets us through the fire
0:08:01 > 0:08:08escape. Then to the list, we disable it and get access to the shaft. Then
0:08:09 > 0:08:14it is down a level to the vault. We cut through the alarm wires, force
0:08:15 > 0:08:19the gate to the door and just a little matter of a reinforced
0:08:20 > 0:08:23concrete wall. We are going to drill through it, smashed open the
0:08:24 > 0:08:33security boxes and get out. Any questions? As they talk through the
0:08:34 > 0:08:38details, it becomes possible that they are going to do this crime
0:08:39 > 0:08:46which is just considered not possible. They had to do a lot of
0:08:47 > 0:08:51intelligence, these are not morons. What will give them the greatest
0:08:52 > 0:08:58notoriety but respect in the criminal underworld is that it is a
0:08:59 > 0:09:01crime without violence. Their target, Hatton Garden in central
0:09:02 > 0:09:07London. The area as been the centre of the diamond industry for
0:09:08 > 0:09:12centuries. Today around 300 businesses are based there,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17representing one of the largest clusters of jewellery retailers in
0:09:18 > 0:09:21the country. As such it has long been a favourite target for thieves
0:09:22 > 0:09:26also in an effort to stop them, a cutting edge high security vault was
0:09:27 > 0:09:34built in the 1940s in the basement of 88-90 Hatton Garden. With London
0:09:35 > 0:09:37now a centre for diamonds, jewel bandits have made it a favourite
0:09:38 > 0:09:44target but Hatton Garden now has its own giant strongroom. There is a
0:09:45 > 0:09:49labyrinth of saves. It is the only one of its kind in Britain, nearly
0:09:50 > 0:09:561000 safes are within this mass of steel and reinforced concrete.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Thieves will have transferred their activities to other countries. Today
0:09:59 > 0:10:04the vault contained almost 1000 safety deposit boxes full of cash,
0:10:05 > 0:10:11gold, diamonds and gemstones. The vast majority belong to Hatton
0:10:12 > 0:10:18Garden jewellers. Hatton Garden is where we get all our stones and
0:10:19 > 0:10:23material, anything that we need, tools, we get it from Hatton Garden.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25It is the centre of the jewellery trade in the UK and has been since
0:10:26 > 0:10:29medieval times so it's trade in the UK and has been since
0:10:30 > 0:10:33science to know that if you have a vault in Hatton Garden, this is
0:10:34 > 0:10:42going to be packed full of goodies and the price is huge. The tarot of
0:10:43 > 0:10:48London, diamonds, it is a bit of a post that you did
0:10:49 > 0:10:51London, diamonds, it is a bit of a over. To do at an Garden is a bit
0:10:52 > 0:10:55special. The audacity of the crime in terms of the planning and
0:10:56 > 0:11:01professionalism of how it was carried out is right up there near
0:11:02 > 0:11:05the top. By selecting this target, they were planning a job that would
0:11:06 > 0:11:11put them right up there alongside Britain's most ambitious ever heist
0:11:12 > 0:11:18including the notorious 1963 great train robbery, the millennium dome
0:11:19 > 0:11:30diamond theft in 2000 and the ?53 million raid on the security is cash
0:11:31 > 0:11:34depot in Kent in 2006 -- Securitas. The master plan was to be carried
0:11:35 > 0:11:41out over the Easter weekend when they knew the bolt would be full and
0:11:42 > 0:11:47the area quite. On second April 2015, Brian Reader boarded the
0:11:48 > 0:11:53number 96 bus headed for Hatton Garden. In the days and hours before
0:11:54 > 0:11:58the crime it would have become part of their identity what they were
0:11:59 > 0:12:06doing to do and the roles they would adopt. You end up with a sense of
0:12:07 > 0:12:13destiny, of elation, they were finally going to act out something
0:12:14 > 0:12:18that they had long anticipated. And it would have been an almost unreal
0:12:19 > 0:12:22feeling. Make no mistake, they did not think they would get caught,
0:12:23 > 0:12:28they thought this was full proof and they would get away with it. Around
0:12:29 > 0:12:33the same time, security guards at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit were
0:12:34 > 0:12:38locking the vault. The security guard was the last to leave at 6pm,
0:12:39 > 0:12:44not due to return until Tuesday seventh, four days later. The master
0:12:45 > 0:12:50arrived in the area and met with the rest of the gang. They were
0:12:51 > 0:13:00disguised as work men. The heist was finally in motion. Enter redhead
0:13:01 > 0:13:08Basil. At 9:22pm he gains access to the building. To this day it is not
0:13:09 > 0:13:15known exactly how he did it. Come on, lads. Once inside, he opened the
0:13:16 > 0:13:18fire escape and let the others in. The gang began to put their
0:13:19 > 0:13:25masterplan into action. They sent the lift up to the
0:13:26 > 0:13:32second-floor, then disabled the sensor so the doors wouldn't close
0:13:33 > 0:13:34and the lift couldn't move. They even left a hand-written out of
0:13:35 > 0:13:38order sign in case it was discovered. With the lift stuck on
0:13:39 > 0:13:43the second-floor, they were able to access the lift shaft with a clear
0:13:44 > 0:13:54drop straight down into the basement. Jones and Basil scrambled
0:13:55 > 0:13:59down. Despite initial news reports, there was no abseiling. They were
0:14:00 > 0:14:05now a step closer to a vault with millions of pounds worth of jewels,
0:14:06 > 0:14:12gold and cash. Stage one complete. They still had several obstacles
0:14:13 > 0:14:17between them and their reward. Next, the intruder alarm. This they
0:14:18 > 0:14:21attempted to deactivate by cutting through a telephone cable and
0:14:22 > 0:14:26snapping the back-up transmitter's aerial. They then cut the power
0:14:27 > 0:14:30cable to a magnetic lock on an iron gate and smashed through a wooden
0:14:31 > 0:14:35door to allow the rest of the gang who hadn't come down the lift shaft
0:14:36 > 0:14:40through. Using an angle grinder, they cut through a second metal gate
0:14:41 > 0:14:50which protected the actual vault. Then all that was between them and
0:14:51 > 0:14:56the loop, was the Vault door and a concrete wall, half a metre thick
0:14:57 > 0:15:01and reinforced with steel. They had come prepared. Equipped with heavy
0:15:02 > 0:15:06cutting gear. To access the diamonds, they used a diamond, a
0:15:07 > 0:15:11specialist diamond-tipped high-powered coring drill designed
0:15:12 > 0:15:17to penetrate concrete and stone. The drill was fitted with metal teeth
0:15:18 > 0:15:24which grind away at the surface, to create a hole. It's capable of
0:15:25 > 0:15:30spinning at 667 rpm in top gear and features a water-cooling system to
0:15:31 > 0:15:37prevent it from overheating. They planned to drill a hole 25
0:15:38 > 0:15:40centimetres by 45 centimetres in the wall, big enough for someone small
0:15:41 > 0:15:42to squeeze through. It was a skill the pensioners had picked up by
0:15:43 > 0:15:56watching clips on YouTube. Unbeknown to the gang, shortly after
0:15:57 > 0:16:00midnight on April 3rd, the alarm they attempted to deactivate was
0:16:01 > 0:16:07triggered and sent a text message alert. A security guard responded
0:16:08 > 0:16:12nearly an hour later. After examining the front door and peering
0:16:13 > 0:16:18through a letterbox he decided the building was secure and left without
0:16:19 > 0:16:22going inside. All good here. False alarm. The police were also notified
0:16:23 > 0:16:27of the alarm but the call wasn't graded properly which meant they
0:16:28 > 0:16:31didn't think they needed to respond. All the while, the thieves in the
0:16:32 > 0:16:33basement remained blissfully unaware of their lucky escape and continued
0:16:34 > 0:17:22breaking into the vault. Their good fortune was short-lived.
0:17:23 > 0:17:29When they finally drilled their way through the reinforced concrete wall
0:17:30 > 0:17:31of the vault, they faced yet another obstacle. The back of the safe
0:17:32 > 0:17:37deposit boxes, which were bolted to the ceiling and floor, were blocking
0:17:38 > 0:17:45the hole and their way in. After almost 11 hours, they gave up and
0:17:46 > 0:17:51left at around 8.00am empty-handed. This is where personality comes to
0:17:52 > 0:17:54play. And interacts with the roles that they learnt and absorbed into
0:17:55 > 0:18:00themselves. There are two different ways in which that can operate. For
0:18:01 > 0:18:04some of them, the failure to master the environment, the situation, will
0:18:05 > 0:18:09not be something that they can cope with and they will simply withdraw.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12For others, the mistakes, the errors, the things going wrong, are
0:18:13 > 0:18:18actually part of the whole challenge and they will rise to the challenge.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21To walk away from that prize, when you are so close, very, very
0:18:22 > 0:18:26difficult, very difficult, indeed. By the same token, the longer they
0:18:27 > 0:18:29are in the vault, the longer they are on the premises, the chances of
0:18:30 > 0:18:33them getting caught is raised considerably.
0:18:34 > 0:18:41For a day and a half, their crime, half complete, lay undiscovered.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Temptation would prove too great. They broke one of the basic rules of
0:18:46 > 0:18:51the criminal world and returned to the scene of the crime. They have
0:18:52 > 0:19:01psyched themselves up once to do the job, then they have to go away, then
0:19:02 > 0:19:02come back, amazingly cool head to be able to carry that out, very
0:19:03 > 0:19:08difficult, because the risk is getting higher all the time. They
0:19:09 > 0:19:12came back with yet more gear. Using a hydraulic ram, they were able to
0:19:13 > 0:19:17dislodge the metal cabinets blocking the drilled hole. They were finally
0:19:18 > 0:19:25in. They weren't all there to enjoy the moment. Brian "The Master"
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Reader was not there to see his plan come good. We know Reader walks away
0:19:30 > 0:19:32from it on that first night and didn't come back. It will be
0:19:33 > 0:19:37interesting to see whether that was a loss of bottle or whether he saw
0:19:38 > 0:19:41the writing on the wall and saw that there was a vulnerability to being
0:19:42 > 0:19:45caught on the premises, having to go back a second time. At the time, it
0:19:46 > 0:19:49sounds good when you are planning it. When you have had a pop and it
0:19:50 > 0:19:53ain't worked, and you reflect back, the glamour has gone out of it, you
0:19:54 > 0:19:56are looking at the reality, that is a different ball game. If people
0:19:57 > 0:19:59looked at the reality of it, then they would never do it in the first
0:20:00 > 0:20:03place. When things start to go wrong, for some of them, the damage
0:20:04 > 0:20:07to their pride will have been too much. They will have been
0:20:08 > 0:20:12compromised and they will no longer be committed to the storyline and
0:20:13 > 0:20:18they will withdraw. The hole would have been a tight
0:20:19 > 0:20:28squeeze. It's thought only Jones, the muscles, and the mysterious
0:20:29 > 0:20:35Basil entered the vault. Once inside, they forced open 73
0:20:36 > 0:20:41safety deposit boxes, filling bags and wheelie bins with jewels, gold,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44precious stones and cash. Once you are in there, it is like a
0:20:45 > 0:20:48kid at Christmas opening up presents. They are popping boxes and
0:20:49 > 0:20:52inside the boxes is all prizes. One of the interesting things about the
0:20:53 > 0:20:55case is, a relatively small number of the deposit boxes were broken
0:20:56 > 0:20:59into given the amount of time they were in there, the deposit boxes are
0:21:00 > 0:21:05not hard to break into once you are in the vault. I don't know if they
0:21:06 > 0:21:08felt they had enough money, enough jewels, enough loot, or if they were
0:21:09 > 0:21:23targeting certain boxes. It is interesting.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28They loaded up their loot, worth an astonishing ?14 million. And hauled
0:21:29 > 0:21:34it up the stairs, leaving via the fire escape. They had done it. It
0:21:35 > 0:21:38was by far the biggest pay day of their career and incredibly it
0:21:39 > 0:21:50looked like they had got away with it. Another two days went by before
0:21:51 > 0:21:57the theft was finally discovered. On Tuesday 7th April, security guards
0:21:58 > 0:22:01arrived for work at around 8.00am. They called the police, triggering a
0:22:02 > 0:22:08major investigation by the elite Flying Squad. It was a burglary in
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Hatton Garden, it was going to be high-value, so we decided we would
0:22:12 > 0:22:15take it, get down there, assess it and we would develop it from there
0:22:16 > 0:22:17and within a few hours it became apparent it was a serious crime and
0:22:18 > 0:22:38it was a job for us. The Flying Squad was formed in 1919.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42That was a neat little job, you two. They are called the Flying Squad
0:22:43 > 0:22:46because they went over different boroughs so there was no boundary as
0:22:47 > 0:22:49to where they could go to. Today, the people we recruit on to the
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Flying Squad are thief takers, they can get that evidence together to
0:22:54 > 0:23:02successfully prosecute people that go to court. In Cockney rhyming
0:23:03 > 0:23:08slang, the Flying Squad is Sweeney Todd, ie, the Sweeney. They were the
0:23:09 > 0:23:10first place to use cars and became famous for their contacts with the
0:23:11 > 0:23:17criminal underworld. They were renowned for swooping in and
0:23:18 > 0:23:28catching criminals red-handed. The Flying Squad's logo, the swooping
0:23:29 > 0:23:31eagle, depicts silently they come, picking off their prey. Everyone
0:23:32 > 0:23:37knows you are representing that legacy. You know that the Flying
0:23:38 > 0:23:39Squad were involved in the Great Train Robbery, you know they were
0:23:40 > 0:23:45involved in the Brink's-Mat, they have been involved in the Dome
0:23:46 > 0:23:50robbery, and what you want to do is perpetuate that legacy, so, first of
0:23:51 > 0:23:54all, you do feel that ownership and responsibility to make sure the
0:23:55 > 0:23:58investigations you are doing are top drawer. Flying Squads operate
0:23:59 > 0:24:02against the most violent criminals that London have. They have built up
0:24:03 > 0:24:06a reputation over many years. There isn't a major robbery that hasn't
0:24:07 > 0:24:15been solved by the Flying Squad, using their expertise. They have
0:24:16 > 0:24:20been to the Millennium Dome, some of the Heathrow robberies where we have
0:24:21 > 0:24:32successfully prosecuted individuals, and there was an audacious attack on
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Grafts Juliry. -- jewellery. There is a deep history of the Flying
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Squad being successfully. The scale of what the Hatton Garden thieves
0:24:42 > 0:24:47have got away with made headlines around the world. The Flying Squad
0:24:48 > 0:24:50were in the spotlight once more. This crime has been three years in
0:24:51 > 0:24:55the planning for them, but we have to hit the ground running, we have
0:24:56 > 0:25:00victims, a lot of these victims, it was clear early on were going to be
0:25:01 > 0:25:05significantly financially affected by this. So, straightaway, there is
0:25:06 > 0:25:08the pressure of those people turning up having heard that it had been
0:25:09 > 0:25:14broken into and you could see the devastation and what it meant to
0:25:15 > 0:25:19them. The vast majority of people who stored property at the Hatton
0:25:20 > 0:25:27Garden Safe Deposit Ltd were traders in London's jewellery quarter, with
0:25:28 > 0:25:31much of their wealth tied up in goods. I have been through the door
0:25:32 > 0:25:38every single day, three or four times a week for 45 years. My wife
0:25:39 > 0:25:45and I have were sitting in the car and listened to the BBC. Just before
0:25:46 > 0:25:516.30pm, the last thing on the news was the fact that Hatton Garden Safe
0:25:52 > 0:25:59Deposit Ltd had been done and lots of the deposit boxes had been
0:26:00 > 0:26:06opened. The Flying Squad phoned and said my box was opened and empty. It
0:26:07 > 0:26:12was quite a big part of my pension that was sitting in there, or had
0:26:13 > 0:26:20been sitting in there, which was now gone.
0:26:21 > 0:26:31I needed to see my box, which I did. Box 998. Completely broken. And
0:26:32 > 0:26:34empty. The biggest shock was the size, to see the size of the actual
0:26:35 > 0:26:40hole. Honestly, only a very size, to see the size of the actual
0:26:41 > 0:26:45very slender person could get through that hole. It was tiny. I
0:26:46 > 0:26:53could get my head through and half of my shoulders. I could certainly
0:26:54 > 0:26:54not get through that. They had gone into this vault and they have stolen
0:26:55 > 0:26:56people's property. The objective was to enrich themselves
0:26:57 > 0:26:59other people's valuables. You have other people's valuables.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05to remember throughout that it is not a victimless crime, this. They
0:27:06 > 0:27:06have gone in, they decided they are going to enrich themselves, get
0:27:07 > 0:27:21their pension from other people. The Hatton Garden investigation was
0:27:22 > 0:27:23a classic case of cops and robbers. Would the Flying Squad catch the
0:27:24 > 0:27:29gang before they got rid of their haul? Early speculation suggested a
0:27:30 > 0:27:33heist of this size and ambition could only have been pulled off by a
0:27:34 > 0:27:41criminal gang with the right connections to move the loot on. The
0:27:42 > 0:27:49first clues would come from piecing together CCTV footage. The CCTV
0:27:50 > 0:27:55that's obtained initially, we have that within a few hours on the first
0:27:56 > 0:28:01day. We look through that and we establish that they have been there
0:28:02 > 0:28:06twice. Cameras around Hatton Garden captured almost their every move.
0:28:07 > 0:28:13Starting with the white van arriving ahead of the initial raid. Then, the
0:28:14 > 0:28:19thieves with their builders' outfits and wheelie bins making their way in
0:28:20 > 0:28:25through the fire escape. With the elusive Basil dressed all in blue.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29And the van leaving after the failed first attempt when things started to
0:28:30 > 0:28:32go wrong. They have planned for three years,
0:28:33 > 0:28:38they have not been able to get in, it is a big pay day and they have
0:28:39 > 0:28:42started to take risks, they have not thought through what they are doing
0:28:43 > 0:28:45next. Despite the setbacks, some returned for the second attempt.
0:28:46 > 0:28:51Again, entering through the fire escape. Before eventually loading
0:28:52 > 0:28:59the van with the millions of pounds worth of stolen loot. The Flying
0:29:00 > 0:29:04Squad had the crooks in action, but who were they? Their big break in
0:29:05 > 0:29:09identifying them would come as a result of the thieves' critical
0:29:10 > 0:29:16decision to return to the crime scene that second time.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19That gives us a breakthrough because it led the CCTV officers to identify
0:29:20 > 0:29:23on the second night they had arrived in a Mercedes earlier. This was the
0:29:24 > 0:29:28Squad's best lead. Detectives were able to trace that Mercedes to one
0:29:29 > 0:29:40John "Kenny" Collins. Because John Collins was using his
0:29:41 > 0:29:47own vehicle, it was very distinctive and very few of them on the road, a
0:29:48 > 0:29:53black roof and wheels so even the grainy CCTV that would not normally
0:29:54 > 0:30:00be of great value, identified and we were able to track that car. You
0:30:01 > 0:30:02be of great value, identified and we have to wait until you get something
0:30:03 > 0:30:07that is concrete and tangible to get a good start point which is what the
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Mercedes was and you commit your resources down that line. The flying
0:30:12 > 0:30:16squad put Collins under surveillance. Collins quickly led
0:30:17 > 0:30:23them to other members of the gang. Covert officers captured
0:30:24 > 0:30:25them to other members of the gang. with Brian Reader, they were
0:30:26 > 0:30:32watching as they met in cafes and pubs. The group are coming together,
0:30:33 > 0:30:39it was now a patient's game on our part and that paid off when John
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Collins, Terence Perkins and Brian Reader met on a Friday night in The
0:30:44 > 0:30:50Castle Public house to discuss what had taken place. Perkins and Collins
0:30:51 > 0:30:55were telling Reader when they went back how they were successful in the
0:30:56 > 0:30:59end. Detectives also planted a electronic listening bugs on two
0:31:00 > 0:31:05cars used by the gang including the Mercedes. It is a tactic used in
0:31:06 > 0:31:10serious crime investigations and can be quite productive and obviously it
0:31:11 > 0:31:19was on this occasion. It'll never happen again. The
0:31:20 > 0:31:25biggest robbery in the world we was on! We were able to obtain
0:31:26 > 0:31:29recordings of their conversations and we know they were quite excited
0:31:30 > 0:31:33about the fact that they had got away with such a large-scale offence
0:31:34 > 0:31:37and it would be unlikely the police would know what had taken place and
0:31:38 > 0:31:38who to look for other were comfortable that they were away
0:31:39 > 0:31:50scot-free. What are the odds? The men couldn't help boasting and
0:31:51 > 0:31:58bragging about what they had done, totally unaware the police were
0:31:59 > 0:32:03listening to every word. The audio recordings of the conversation told
0:32:04 > 0:32:07you how they did it, who they did it with, how they would sort it out so
0:32:08 > 0:32:12it was a gold mine of evidence and information.
0:32:13 > 0:32:22What they were up to is known in criminal circles as the slaughter.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28Slaughter is a place where you meet afterwards and you share the loot.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33Everybody gets their share. It's amazing, you're looking and you
0:32:34 > 0:32:38think, I earned more than the Prime Minister at this time, I'm a rock
0:32:39 > 0:32:43star. When you have got such tremendous quantities of loot to get
0:32:44 > 0:32:48rid of, it becomes a problem of how to break it all up and share it
0:32:49 > 0:32:54between them, how to launder it and change everything into cash. After
0:32:55 > 0:33:00the heist, the gang members had been at the bolt on the second night and
0:33:01 > 0:33:09started to distribute their whole -- at the vault. The icing on the cake.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14Some of the older guys made their reputations as people who could
0:33:15 > 0:33:24shift stolen goods, that was their skill going back decades. Worth
0:33:25 > 0:33:30working over Easter! In May, around six weeks after the heist, it is
0:33:31 > 0:33:35time for the exchange. Possibly thinking the heat had died down,
0:33:36 > 0:33:42Collins arranged for members of the gang together a substantial amount
0:33:43 > 0:33:48of the loot to redistribute. Here he is on CCTV scouting out the location
0:33:49 > 0:33:54with his dog was at the pub car park in Enfield, north London, he met a
0:33:55 > 0:34:00long-time friend. This man, Hugh Doyle, who runs a business next door
0:34:01 > 0:34:04to the car park. Police believed the 42-year-old let them use the yard to
0:34:05 > 0:34:08transfer the loot. The reason they wanted to do it in that area was
0:34:09 > 0:34:13because they did not want to do a boot to boot in the street because
0:34:14 > 0:34:18that could have looked like a drugs deal to eight passing police officer
0:34:19 > 0:34:23or member of the public and they could lose everything they had
0:34:24 > 0:34:28worked for over a simple error. They wanted to use the car park area
0:34:29 > 0:34:32because it gave them some degree of privacy. They did not realise it was
0:34:33 > 0:34:38covered by a camera and that we were following them. The exchange
0:34:39 > 0:34:46happened the following day. This also was recorded on CCTV. Collins
0:34:47 > 0:34:51arrived along with another of the ringleaders, Daniel Jones, who wore
0:34:52 > 0:34:57shorts for the occasion. You know that this is the day you are hoping
0:34:58 > 0:35:01this will be right, hoping that you actually find something because it
0:35:02 > 0:35:06would be one thing to arrest the group together but what we wanted
0:35:07 > 0:35:13was property. Enter two more characters, William Lincoln was, the
0:35:14 > 0:35:17police believed, recruited prior to the burglary to help transport and
0:35:18 > 0:35:23conceal the main loot. And to have recruited his nephew, Jon Harbinson,
0:35:24 > 0:35:29as a taxi driver to also help with transport. Harbinson was also
0:35:30 > 0:35:36alleged to have been storing a large amount of the loot after the initial
0:35:37 > 0:35:40slaughter. This was said to be the moment the three bags containing
0:35:41 > 0:35:47diamonds, watches and necklaces were shifted from Jon Harbinson's taxi to
0:35:48 > 0:35:54Collins's Mercedes. The three bags it's changed -- exchanged behind the
0:35:55 > 0:36:01pub contained an estimated two to ?4 million worth of diamonds and gold.
0:36:02 > 0:36:10With the exchange done, Collins and Jones drove off with a boot full of
0:36:11 > 0:36:14loot. In the same distinctive Aceves Collins had driven to Hatton Garden
0:36:15 > 0:36:15on the second night of the heist which we now know was the beginning
0:36:16 > 0:36:36of their own doing -- They drove to a nearby property with
0:36:37 > 0:36:40the flying squad on their tail. We had weeks of surveillance showing
0:36:41 > 0:36:44the principled meeting up, the audio recording saying what they had done
0:36:45 > 0:36:48and how they would do it and eventually some property coming out
0:36:49 > 0:36:52of the woodwork so we had sufficient, there was no reason to
0:36:53 > 0:36:59delay any longer so that was why we made the decision
0:37:00 > 0:37:07The police made their move. In co-ordinated raids with more than
0:37:08 > 0:37:15200 officers they hit 12 addresses in London and Kent. Including the
0:37:16 > 0:37:21home of Brian Reader. In his house, a diamond tester and a book on the
0:37:22 > 0:37:25diamond underworld. It was important because they could dispose of
0:37:26 > 0:37:30property or disappear, we don't know what each had at that point in time.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35Anything could happen so it was key to arrest any of the printable
0:37:36 > 0:37:43conspirators at that point. -- principle. They also Nick Collins
0:37:44 > 0:37:47and Perkins and Jones. In their possession were
0:37:48 > 0:37:48and Perkins and Jones. In their from the car park exchange
0:37:49 > 0:37:55containing millions of pounds worth of loot. A search of Collins house
0:37:56 > 0:37:59revealed a large amount of cash, watches, jewellery and a money
0:38:00 > 0:38:06counter and police found facemask, a drill and cash at Jones's house.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11With Perkins they found jewellery, cash, blue overalls and white
0:38:12 > 0:38:18gloves. They were surprised and disappointed. Actively in their
0:38:19 > 0:38:21minds they were trying to work out how to minimise their criminal
0:38:22 > 0:38:26responsibility and it is not until they are interviewed and they walk
0:38:27 > 0:38:28through the evidence against them that they realise how comprehensive
0:38:29 > 0:38:35the investigation that they realise how comprehensive
0:38:36 > 0:38:41amount of trouble they were in. The aftermath is a bit of a surprise
0:38:42 > 0:38:45that the loot was still in their homes, that is surprising given the
0:38:46 > 0:38:52professionalism and the care that the crime had been carried out with.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58It is a bit surprising that there was not more professionalism in the
0:38:59 > 0:39:04moving of the goods afterwards. They had been focused on how to get in,
0:39:05 > 0:39:07not leaving any forensics, those details which proved in their minds
0:39:08 > 0:39:14that you are a professional but actually it is the banal details
0:39:15 > 0:39:19that make one into a professional criminal that would have ensured
0:39:20 > 0:39:25they were not caught. Several other men were also picked up as part of
0:39:26 > 0:39:29the raids. William Lincoln denied any involvement with the heist and
0:39:30 > 0:39:35said he was given three bags by Collins and told they contained
0:39:36 > 0:39:41paperwork and bric-a-brac. Jon Harbinson was also arrested but
0:39:42 > 0:39:49denied knowing what was in the bags, claiming his uncle told him it was a
0:39:50 > 0:39:52load of old sheet. In his defence, Hugh Doyle said he had no idea what
0:39:53 > 0:40:00they were planning and no knowledge of what was taking place. This man
0:40:01 > 0:40:04was also arrested, Carl Wood. The prosecution alleged he was at the
0:40:05 > 0:40:09burglary on both nights but didn't go inside on the second visit
0:40:10 > 0:40:18because he bottled it. He denied ever being at the heist. It was nice
0:40:19 > 0:40:21because he bottled it. He denied for people like Perkins and Jones to
0:40:22 > 0:40:24see Brian Reader sitting in the same police station as them because they
0:40:25 > 0:40:28were thinking, how has he got here. They stayed deadpan
0:40:29 > 0:40:32were thinking, how has he got here. experienced criminals and will not
0:40:33 > 0:40:35give anything away in a police station or acknowledge other people
0:40:36 > 0:40:40so it is deadpan, don't know who it is. With arrests made, police could
0:40:41 > 0:40:50interview their suspects. They were not saying much. Were you a driller?
0:40:51 > 0:40:55No comment. The person that could deactivate the lift shaft? No
0:40:56 > 0:41:04comment. The alarm systems? No comment. Was it you that messed up?
0:41:05 > 0:41:08No comment. It was your role to get through the hole? No comment.
0:41:09 > 0:41:17They provided interviews regarding what happened.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20And you'll Jones, when interviewed, listened to recordings of him and
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Perkins talking in the car and it was at that point the game was up --
0:41:24 > 0:41:31Daniel Perkins. Jones and three other ringleaders
0:41:32 > 0:41:38saw the writing on the wall and confessed. To have four who have
0:41:39 > 0:41:43spent three years in the planning of this offence to plead before going
0:41:44 > 0:41:47to trial shows and is rewarding enough for us to say we have done
0:41:48 > 0:41:54the right job and are doing right by the victims. From his cell at
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Belmarsh prison, Danny Jones offered to give up his stash of the loot,
0:41:58 > 0:42:02claiming he wanted to go straight. to give up his stash of the loot,
0:42:03 > 0:42:11He said he had hidden it at Edmonton Cemetery in north London.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Police searched graves, digging for around two hours, uncovering
0:42:16 > 0:42:36jewellery and precious stones. A week later, they returned, this
0:42:37 > 0:42:44time taking Jones from his cell. He led them to a different grave.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49What's in here, Danny? That's the lot. He said that was all he had, no
0:42:50 > 0:42:54doubt hoping to come back for the rest after his release. He was
0:42:55 > 0:43:03unaware police had already recovered the first, larger haul. Some of the
0:43:04 > 0:43:06items seized have been traced back to Kjeld Jacobsen. I have probably
0:43:07 > 0:43:10been luckier than most because it seems now that I would probably end
0:43:11 > 0:43:20up having something like one-third of what had been stolen back. The
0:43:21 > 0:43:22jewellery they found in the church yard, I have been told by the police
0:43:23 > 0:43:40that some of that is mine. Police have recovered some of the
0:43:41 > 0:43:46stolen property and they had their four ringleaders. The others, Carl
0:43:47 > 0:43:55Wood, William Lincoln, Jon Harbison and Hugh Doyle all pleaded not
0:43:56 > 0:44:01guilty and went on trial. The case, lasting around six weeks, finished
0:44:02 > 0:44:06today. Wood and Lincoln have both been convicted of their roles. They
0:44:07 > 0:44:13played their part in conspiring to pull off Britain's biggest heist.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18Doyle was cleared of conspiracy to conceal, but found guilty of
0:44:19 > 0:44:26concealing property. Jon Harbison was cleared of all
0:44:27 > 0:44:30charges. Today marked the culmination of one
0:44:31 > 0:44:38of the most notorious capers in British criminal history. A truly
0:44:39 > 0:44:49audacious plot masterminded by a cunning gang of pensioners. Foiled
0:44:50 > 0:44:54by the gritty determination of the Flying Squad's elite thief takers.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59They would see themselves at the top end of criminality and I think from
0:45:00 > 0:45:07that, they are sensible enough to know that the Flying Squad is at the
0:45:08 > 0:45:10top end of police investigation. They planned the job well. They then
0:45:11 > 0:45:15hit a barrier. They made mistakes and then they got themselves caught.
0:45:16 > 0:45:23I think there is an element of them thinking that this was old school
0:45:24 > 0:45:25crime and that once they were out of the building, they were home and
0:45:26 > 0:45:29free. It's as if life ceased to exist beyond carrying out this
0:45:30 > 0:45:37crime. Three years in the build-up, carrying out the crime and they
0:45:38 > 0:45:41hadn't thought past that. There is a nostalgia of the pre-drugs era where
0:45:42 > 0:45:44people used their brain and daring. The fact that it didn't work, most
0:45:45 > 0:45:50of them got caught, and a large amount of the money has been
0:45:51 > 0:45:55recovered, a large amount of goods have been recovered, has almost been
0:45:56 > 0:46:02put aside. The nearly story is a better story. The one we almost
0:46:03 > 0:46:07pulled off is a tale that has more dramatic entertainment value, makes
0:46:08 > 0:46:13them more into heroes. If they had got away with it, it's a different
0:46:14 > 0:46:15story, but they didn't. Their plan unravelled quite spectacularly at
0:46:16 > 0:46:22the end of the day. The number of flaws in how they operated and
0:46:23 > 0:46:30perhaps their age is a reason why. We have to make one thing clear.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35They are very audacious, which has captured the attention of the
0:46:36 > 0:46:46public. These are callous thieves. The guilty men are now serving time.
0:46:47 > 0:46:52All except one, that is. Basil, or whatever his real name is, seems to
0:46:53 > 0:47:01have got away with it, for now. He is still out there somewhere, along
0:47:02 > 0:47:03with ?10 million of missing loot. Obviously, we will still continue
0:47:04 > 0:47:08looking for Basil. The investigation is not completed even though we have
0:47:09 > 0:47:12convictions. The number of avenues of inquiry we have still got left,
0:47:13 > 0:47:15it is to work out who Basil is and see if we can get him to court, it
0:47:16 > 0:47:22is identifying the outstanding property. So although we have got to
0:47:23 > 0:47:23this stage, which is a nice point in the investigation, there is still a
0:47:24 > 0:47:27lot of work to do on it and one of them is to catch Basil. It is
0:47:28 > 0:47:32interesting that they are not giving him up. I wonder what that's about
0:47:33 > 0:47:40and whether there's more to the story than we know. There is a
0:47:41 > 0:47:43certain amount of frustration, they won't cease until they complete
0:47:44 > 0:47:48their investigation and that will be the tenacity and their drive. I have
0:47:49 > 0:47:53got every confidence that they will get there. That's all part of the
0:47:54 > 0:47:59myth of a good heist, someone not being captured, which, put that
0:48:00 > 0:48:04alongside the missing loot, you've got stories for generations.