Seven men have been convicted of a variety of offences for their involvement in the Hatton Garden heist. The following profiles give background details about each man, as well as information relating to how they each played a part in the heist.
Brian Reader
Brian Reader, 76, was given the nickname ‘The Guvnor’ or ‘The Master’ by his fellow gang members during the heist. He also had a criminal past and had a close friendship with infamous criminal Kenneth Noye. He was involved in the 1983Brink’s Mat robbery with Kenneth Noye – a crime for which he received an eight year sentence for conspiracy to handle stolen goods. Noye and Reader found an undercover police officer spying on them, in the grounds of Noye’s home. Noye stabbed the officer 11 times. They were both charged with murder, but Reader and Noye were acquitted of this crime after Reader claimed he wasn’t there and Noye claimed he acted in self-defense. Noye however, was later given a life sentence for the murder of Stephen Cameron.
Reader was said to have been involved in the planning of the Hatton Garden Heist robbery for over three years. Police found a book about the diamond underworld during an initial search of his home. Brian’s son Paul was arrested in the aftermath of the heist but the charges against him were later dropped.
Terry Perkins
Terry Perkins, who spent his 67th birthday breaking into the Hatton Garden vault, was involved in the 1983 Security Express robbery. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 1985 for that case. Perkins escaped from prison in 1995 and was at large until 2012. He was released shortly before the Hatton Garden heist. He pled guilty along with Reader, Jones and Collins. Perkins is noted to have said: 'I'm going to melt my good gold down...that could be my pension.'
John Collins
The 74-year-old has a history of robbery offences going back over fifty years. He served as a lookout during the raid. His accomplices described him as “wombat-thick” and his lawyer said that he was “petrified” of being caught by the authorities. He pled guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.
Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones, 60, had a history of robbery and burglary offences dating back to his teenage years. In 1982 he was arrested for stealing nearly £100,000 worth of jewelry. A bug placed in one of his co-defendant’s cars caught Jones saying: “The biggest cash robbery in history at the time and now the biggest tom [slang for jewellery] in the f***ing world, that’s what they are saying … And what a book you could write, f***ing hell.” Jones pled guilty at the trial.
Carl Wood
Carl Wood, 58, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property. He was involved in the planning of the heist but he pulled out on the 2nd night, when he found the fire escape closed. Police identified CCTV image of a man labeled ‘Man F’ as Wood – which Wood denied. Wood suffers from Crohn’s disease. He was in receipt of disability benefit and nearly £10,000 in debt at the time of the heist.
William Lincoln
60-year-old Lincoln was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property. He left the country 2 days after the robbery took place. Lincoln was reportedly recruited by his uncle, John Collins. He was the getaway driver and was said to have had a major role in the movement of the goods after the heist. Lincoln told the judge at trial that he thought the bags he obtained from Collins contained "bric-a-brac”, denying all knowledge of any stolen items.
Hugh Doyle
48-year-old Hugh Doyle is a plumber from Enfield. Doyle was a good friend of John Collins before the crime. During the trial, Doyle maintained that he had no knowledge of the plot. The judge originally accepted Doyle’s ‘not guilty’ plea and charges were dropped in November, before he was finally convicted in January of concealing, converting or transferring criminal property.
'Basil'
There is an eighth man known only as 'Basil' who was also involved in the heist. He entered the vault with Danny Jones, and is said to have let the men in to the building via a fire exit. His face was covered with a mask or bin bag in CCTV footage and he has not been caught.
