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Hatton Garden heist: four plead guilty Hatton Garden heist: four plead guilty
(about 3 hours later)
Four men have pleaded guilty to involvement in the Hatton Garden heist in which a gang broke into a concrete vault and ransacked valuables held in scores of safe deposit boxes. Four men have pleaded guilty to plotting the Hatton Garden heist, in which a gang broke into a concrete vault and ransacked £10m worth of valuables in scores of safety deposit boxes.
John Collins, 74, of Islington, north London; Daniel Jones, 58, and Terry Perkins, 67, both of Enfield, north London; and Brian Reader, 76, of Dartford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle with intent to steal. Three pensioners were among those who admitted involvement in the raid that captured the public’s imagination.
A total of nine defendants appeared in court, including two who have yet to enter pleas. John Collins, 74, of Islington, north London; Daniel Jones, 58, of Enfield, north London; Terry Perkins, 67, also of Enfield; and Brian Reader, 76, of Dartford, Kent, pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to burgle with intent to steal jewellery.
Hugh Doyle, 48, of Enfield, north London; William Lincoln, 60, of Bethnal Green, east London; John Harbinson, 42, of Benfleet, Essex, denied conspiracy to burgle and are due to face trial on 16 November. The burglary in Hatton Garden, London, over Easter weekend is believed to have led to around £10m worth of jewels, cash and other valuables being stolen by a gang who bored a hole through a thick concrete wall to enter the vault in the heart of the diamond district.
All seven who entered pleas denied a second charge of conspiracy to conceal, disguise, convert or transfer a quantity of jewellery and other items between 1 April and 19 May. A total of nine defendants appeared at Woolwich crown court, including two who have yet to enter pleas.
The crown said it would not be pursuing the charge against the four who had admitted conspiracy to burgle in light of those pleas. Hugh Doyle, 48, of Enfield; William Lincoln, 60, of Bethnal Green, east London; John Harbinson, 42, of Benfleet, Essex, denied conspiracy to burgle and are due to face trial on 16 November.
Paul Reader, 50, of Dartford, and Carl Wood, 58, of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, are yet to enter pleas. All seven who entered pleas denied a second charge of conspiracy to convert or transfer a quantity of jewellery and other stolen goods between 1 April and 19 May.
The Crown said it would not be pursuing the second charge against the four who had admitted conspiracy to burgle in light of those pleas.
The nine defendants at the hearing sat in a dock behind a Perspex screen, flanked by 13 security guards. The judge asked prosecutor Philip Evans to make sure he spoke into a microphone so the accused could hear the proceedings.The nine defendants at the hearing sat in a dock behind a Perspex screen, flanked by 13 security guards. The judge asked prosecutor Philip Evans to make sure he spoke into a microphone so the accused could hear the proceedings.
The burglary in Hatton Garden over Easter weekend is believed to have led to around £10m-worth of jewels, cash and other valuables being stolen by a gang who bored a hole through a thick concrete wall to enter the vault in the heart of London’s diamond district. During the heist the gang rifled through 72 secure boxes. Detectives believe they have recovered most of the valuables stolen in the raid.
During the heist the gang rifled through 72 secure boxes. Police were alerted to the Hatton Garden safety deposit burglary just after 8am on Tuesday 7 April, after the Easter holiday weekend, during which time the facility was closed.
Detectives investigating the heist believe they have recovered most of the stolen valuables. Those behind the theft disabled a lift and clambered into the basement via the shaft before drilling into the vault walls with heavy-duty tools. There had been no forced entry.
Police were alerted to the burglary just after 8am on Tuesday 7 April, after the Easter holiday weekend, during which time the facility was closed. Detectives and forensic experts were confronted by a chaotic scene, with dust, debris and discarded safety deposit boxes scattered throughout the vault. A diamond-tipped drill was used to bore holes into the vault wall and was recovered from the scene. The wall was 2 metres thick and made of reinforced concrete. A hole 25cm high and 45cm wide was cut 89cm off the ground.
Police were surprised by the tiny size of the hole.
Detectives and forensic experts were confronted by a chaotic scene, with dust, debris and discarded safety deposit boxes scattered throughout.
Paul Reader, 50, of Dartford, and Carl Wood, 58, of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, are yet to enter pleas.
Police were criticised before they made arrests after it emerged they had ignored a burglar alarm that went off at the building while the thieves were inside.
Some 200 officers staged raids to arrest the suspects, after which police hit back: “At times we have been portrayed as if we’ve acted like ‘Keystone Cops’,” Cmdr Peter Spindler said. “I want to reassure you that in the finest traditions of Scotland Yard these detectives have done their utmost to bring justice for the victims of this callous crime.”
Friends and family of those accused watched from the public gallery.