The Hutton-Garden story: how the ‘Old Robbers’ pulled off the heist of the century

Gang composition

This story from ten years ago still boggles the mind – the public both then and now could not believe that it was possible to do what seemed impossible.

It is surprising, firstly, how easily and simply the robbers managed to break into one of the most famous vaults of valuables, which had been renting out safe deposit boxes for more than a hundred years and was considered an impregnable fortress. Secondly, the scale of the damage caused: gold, diamonds, cash and jewelry were taken out of Hatton Garden by the robbers in garbage containers.

Third, the whole “job” took them several days, they used bulky equipment and made a lot of noise when breaking into the vault – but no one stopped them.

And the most important thing is the age of the robbers, which gave the name to the whole story. The gang members were on average in their 60s and the oldest was in his 80s, and almost all of them had a rich criminal past.

The leader of the gang was Brian Reeder (born in 1939), an experienced criminal who had participated in high-profile robberies back in the 1980s. His associates called him “The Boss.” The Master came to the case by bus, using, characteristically, a pensioner’s travel document.

His closest assistant was Daniel Jones (born in 1955), a professional burglar who took on the technical side of the issue and read every conceivable and unthinkable manual on wall drilling. His associates described him as a rather odd fellow – that he went to bed in his mother’s negligee and claimed his dog had superpowers. The investigation established that even on the robbery Danny appeared in striped pants, red sneakers and a blue cap (and reflective vest over all this beauty – because the robbers pretended to be workers). But he was good at what he did – his success at Hatton Garden was testament to that.

Another important member of the gang was John Collins (born in 1940), who was supposed to keep an eye on the situation. He was so diligent in keeping watch, it must be said, that at one point (as investigators later found out) he fell asleep at his post. He would have let his comrades down very badly if they had been spotted. But, fortunately for the gang, this did not happen.

Terence Perkins (born 1948), another experienced criminal, was involved in the operation on his own birthday. He had previously committed high-profile robberies and had even eluded the police for many years.

The other participants played supporting roles. William Lincoln (born in 1955), known in criminal circles as “Billy the Fish,” was to provide transportation and help the team flee the scene. He suffered from osteoarthritis and had had his hips replaced, but he was still fit to drive Billy the Fish.

Carl Wood, 59, who suffered from Crohn’s disease, was also involved in the operation. However, he was only involved at the beginning. When something in the operation went wrong (more on this below), he got scared and “leaked”.

Hugh Doyle, aged 48, represented the youths in the gang. He was not involved in the robbery itself – his job was to provide a room where the stolen goods could be temporarily stored.

A particular figure in this gang was the mysterious “Basil” who disabled the alarm system. He was caught by British law enforcement authorities later – he only received his sentence in 2018.

Preparation

The bandits had been preparing for the robbery for months. John Collins regularly drove around the area in a van, recording the arrival and departure times of employees and the security features. On more than one occasion, the robbers went in disguised as customers to examine the vault and understand its structure. One of the employees later recalled that for months he had felt under surveillance – as it turned out, not without reason.

In Brian Reeder’s home, a search of the house turned up literature on the diamond trade, special instruments and journals that could be useful in estimating production.

In parallel, technical preparations were underway. Daniel Jones was studying drilling rigs and selecting equipment that could cope with the concrete wall of the vault. The plan of operation was discussed at regular meetings, most often in pubs and on cell phones. The robbers tried to take even the smallest details into account: for example, they bought a book on forensic science so they could learn how to avoid leaving DNA traces.

However, despite their careful preparation, one thing they did not take into account – traces could not be left not only at the scene of the robbery, but also in the digital space. And they were carefree in their correspondence, which helped the investigation to establish their guilt.

Robbery

The operation began on the evening of April 2, 2015, the last working day before the long Easter weekend, when the building was supposed to be empty for four days. The robbers arrived at the depository disguised as workers and carrying wheeled trash garbage cans in which they were carrying the equipment. Their calculation was simple: to look as mundane as possible without attracting attention. Shortly before closing time, “Basil” came inside, posing as an employee of a telecommunications company, and used a silencer to disable the alarm system. The team then made their way into the elevator shaft and began lowering down the heavy drilling equipment. The process itself looked like a scene from an absurd comedy: elderly men dragging an industrial drill down an elevator shaft.

The first attempt was unsuccessful and showed that even careful preparation does not save from surprises. The robbers spent the whole night drilling through a concrete wall about 50 centimeters thick, but when they broke through it, they found a metal grate they didn’t know they had. By morning, tired and clearly not having calculated their strength, they were forced to leave with nothing.

The next day (Good Friday) they returned without Carl, who, after the failure, decided not to take any risks. The second time they brought more powerful equipment, managed to widen the hole and got in. After that, the most “successful” part of the operation began: they quietly opened 73 boxes and took out the loot – gold, jewelry, cash – in the very same trash cans. The removal lasted all of Friday and Saturday – and all the while, no one interfered with them. They separated and hid the loot without hindrance.

Catch

No one raised the alarm on Sunday – Easter Day. But no one sounded the alarm on Monday either – because it was also a weekend. The depository with a century-long history and a reputation as the most reliable place to store valuables on a “long weekend” was not guarded by live people – its management relied more on alarm systems and strong walls. As a result, the alarm was not raised until Tuesday, two days after the bandits had left the scene.

When the story hit the media, Britain was filled with fantastic rumors about the scale of the damage – initially we were talking about hundreds of millions. But after calculations, it turned out that the robbers had taken out only about 13.5 million pounds worth of jewelry and cash from the vault.

The police were instantly involved – and immediately began to look for clues. One of the first clues was Collins’ white van, which had been seen too often in CCTV footage near Hatton Garden. The cops put a tap on his phone – and instantly identified the other accomplices, for the simple reason that they had not taken reasonable precautions after the robbery. The elderly robbers may have been good at drilling walls but poor at modern technology, and instead of lying low and not communicating with each other, they were actively texting and even meeting. The police monitored their communications and during one of these meetings they were caught.

Trial and sentences

After the arrests, the case quickly went to trial, and the trial was as high-profile as the robbery itself. Almost all members of the gang were brought to trial – except for the mysterious “Basil”, who had not yet been caught. In 2016, the main defendants received real sentences: Perkins, Jones, Lincoln and Collins were sentenced to about seven years in prison. The other participants received more lenient sentences.

The investigation later turned up “Basil”, who turned out to be Michael Seed, an alarm specialist. He was tried separately and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018.

The story did not end there: the British court applied additional pressure to the main participants by asking them to return the stolen valuables through so-called confiscation orders. According to the estimates of appraisers, the main participants had more than 6 million pounds worth of jewelry stashed away, and they were given a deadline to voluntarily disclose the stashes. The conditions were strict: if they did not return the money, they would receive additional years on top of the sentence already imposed.

Some tried to play it safe, like Jones. He said he was willing to cooperate with the investigation and told police that he hid his share… in a grave in a cemetery in the Edmonton area. Operatives excavated and indeed found a bag of jewelry. But then began an almost comical scene: Jones was brought to the site again – ostensibly to “clarify” where exactly he hid the loot, without informing that the treasure has already been found. And he confidently pointed to another place where there was another bag. Thus, he himself gave away that he was trying to conceal some of the loot.

The others were stoic. Brian Reeder, who faced the longest sentence, categorically refused to reveal where the valuables were hidden. But because of his serious health – dementia, strokes and cancer – the court would not send him back to prison, even though he did not comply. He passed away in 2023.

John Collins did not cooperate either: after his release, he did not return his share and in 2019 was sentenced to seven years in prison again for refusing to comply with the court’s decision. Now we have heard nothing about him – most likely he has already been released, and only he alone knows where his share of the stolen valuables is hidden.

We also know that Danny Jones is now at large – he’s probably been released as well. Unlike Collins, however, he has recovered most of his loot.

Carl Wood, who was afraid to take risks, was also convicted – but he was released quickly, even before the covid. Hugh Doyle got off with a light suspended sentence and thanked the jury profusely in court, promising to fix their boilers for free.

Only a small part of the stolen goods (about 30%) was recovered – the rest remained hidden. The robbers preferred to spend additional years in prison and even die in prison, but to keep their loot – probably for posterity.

You can probably guess what happened to the depository: it closed down in disgrace. Neither its reputation nor its century-long history helped. Its fate is symbolic: in Britain there is a lot of talk about the long history and reputation of various institutions and the country as a whole, but from time to time it turns out that today’s institutions are not worthy of the reputation earned by previous generations. Like the monarchy, for example.

And finally, the story of the Hatton Garden robbery has, of course, been made into a movie, and more than once. But we are not going to cite references here. All the movies made on this story, so far, are not very good, and watching them is not as interesting as retelling the details of the real story. This story has yet to find its director.