DIAMOND WHEEZERS
Where are the Hatton Garden heist robbers now? Life after the UK’s most notorious diamond robbery
Including one crook who claimed he wanted to 'come clean' then lied
THE Hatton Garden Jewellery Quarter in London became the scene of one of the biggest heists in British history.
In April 2024, it was revealed that the "mastermind" behind the plot, Brian Reader, had died aged 84 - with millions in loot from the robbery still missing.
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Where are the Hatton Garden robbers?
During the Easter weekend in 2015, elderly raiders ransacked an underground safe deposit facility in London's Hatton Garden, which is known as the capital city’s jewellery district.
High-duty drills were used to tunnel into the vault, boring through 7ft thick walls to crack open 73 boxes.
They contained millions of pounds of jewels and precious metals, including diamonds, sapphires and gold.
Eventually the men - all experienced thieves doing "one last job" - were all caught and all pleaded guilty to the crime.
Most of the gang, who had become known as the “diamond wheezers” due to their average age being 63, were put on trial in 2016.
It was later revealed the grey haired robbers had a combined age of 448.
Here we take you through the people who took part in one of the most famous heists in history.
Brian Reader
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Known as "The Master" Brian Reader was born on February 28, 1939, which meant he was 76 at the time of the Hatton Garden robbery.
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He pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit burglary and was locked up for six years and three months for his part.
Reader was released from jail in July 2018 after serving just over three years.
He was released with remission having suffered from prostate cancer and a series of strokes.
In April 2023, it was revealed that Reader had sold three of his estates for £2.5million.
Hatton Garden raider blames ‘mastermind’ for the gang getting caught and claims he ‘abandoned them’ when heist didn’t go to plan
Reader had faced a further seven-year term if he could not pay a £6.5million confiscation order imposed on him and three other ringleaders.
Due to his health, he received a sentence seven months shorter than his fellow Hatton Garden ringleaders.
On April 23, 2024, it was revealed that he had passed away aged 84.
Relatives and associates of Reader tried to keep his death secret.
But a death certificate, which lists his profession as a retired gardener reveals he passed away in September 2023 at his home in Dartford, Kent.
He had cancer of the colon and prostate cancer.
Michael Seed
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Michael Seed is thought to have been the ringleader of the gang and simply known as "Basil" by the others.
He was 54 at the time of the robbery, and managed to evade being caught for three years despite living in a council house in Islington, less than two miles away from the robbery.
Seed was eventually caught in 2018.
Police are believed to have identified Seed in November 2015, but waited until March 2018 to arrest him when they could catch him red-handed.
He became the tenth person to be convicted in connection with the heist in March 2019 when he was sentenced to ten years in prison.
John Collins
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John Collins was known as Kenny and was 74 at the time of the heist.
He was sentenced to seven years for his part in the raid, but he was released from jail in late 2018 having served half his sentence.
Collins was spotted arriving at his home in Islington, north London, after a trip to the supermarket.
He served as the lookout and getaway driver for the gang.
Collins was described in court as "instrumental in gaining access to the vault", visiting the area many times to assess its weaknesses.
He also purchased the extra equipment needed to drill through the wall of the vault.
Some of the gold stolen from the London heist was even hidden in his wheelie bins.
Collins was in part responsible for the gang being caught after driving his own Mercedes to the heist and being tailed by police.
His £175,000 flat on the Costa del Sol in Spain has since been seized by police, who also froze nearly £700K in his bank accounts.
Daniel Jones
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Daniel Jones from Enfield, was jailed for seven years for his part in the Hatton Garden raid.
He climbed through the hole bored in the wall with Basil to break into the boxes.
While in custody, awaiting trial, Jones claimed he wanted to "come clean" and give back his share of the robbery.
To that end he wrote a letter to the media offering to show police where he had hidden it.
But when he was escorted to Edmonton Cemetery, in north London, he only showed them a small portion of his stash and lied under direct questioning when asked if he knew about any more loot buried about 20m (65ft) away, which the police had already found.
In July 2018, the criminal was handed a three year sentence on top having also taken part in a £1million gem heist at Amal Clooney's wedding jewellers.
Terry Perkins
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Terry Perkins died in prison in February 2018 of natural causes, aged 69.
He died just one week after being ordered to repay around £6.5million in missing cash.
A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed Perkins died in custody at HMP Belmarsh.
He suffered from diabetes and heart problems.
Perkins had previously had a heart attack in the prison and was fitted with a defibrillator - a pacemaker which monitors heart beats - at London's St Thomas’ Hospital.
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Carl Wood
Carl Wood from Cheshunt, was handed a six year prison sentence for his part.
He suffers from Crohn's disease and lives on disability allowance.
Wood is thought to have become involved in the job as he was in debt.
He pulled out of the heist on the second night when he found the fire escape door was closed.
Wood's friend Jones subsequently refused to give him any of the spoils to help clear his debts and no loot was found at his house.
William Lincoln
William Lincoln, who was known as "Billy the Fish" was given a seven year stretch.
He acted as the gang's getaway driver.
Lincoln got his nickname because he used to visit Billingsgate Fish Market on Fridays.
He was arrested on May 19, 2015, while driving his black Audi A3.
The arresting officers found a torn-up, handwritten note on the floor beside him.
The writing on the note gave the address of the Wheatsheaf pub, where some of the loot was handled.
Hugh Doyle
Hugh Doyle was gas fitter who was found guilty of conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property and given a suspended prison sentence.
There was no evidence he ever went to Hatton Garden.
His role was to provide an exchange point for the final handover of loot outside his business premises.
Jon Harbinson
Jon Harbinson was cleared of all charges.
He was accused of storing much of the stolen jewellery, gems and gold before returning it to the gang to be split up.
What was the Hatton Garden raid?
CARRIED out over the 2015 Easter Bank Holiday weekend, the motley crew entered through a lift shaft and made their way to the basement.
They used heavy cutting equipment to gain access to the outside of the 1940s vault.
A diamond-tipped drill was then used to bore through the 20in-thick reinforced concrete wall.
Once inside the gang ransacked 73 safe deposit boxes, containing jewellery, gems and gold with an estimated value of just under £14 million before escaping in a waiting transit van.
Most of the gems have still not been recovered and are feared to have been leaked onto the black market and sold abroad.
The value of the loot was also re-valued at £29million in 20197.
The OAP raiders - all with a combined aged of 442 -were previously collectively ordered to pay back £8.2million.
Reader is the second Hatton Garden robber to die after Terry Perkins passed away in prison in 2018.