BRITAIN’S BIGGEST HEISTS

1963 Great Train Robbery

A Royal Mail train going from Glasgow to London was brought to a halt after a gang of 15, including Bruce Reynolds, Ronnie Biggs and Buster Edwards, manipulated the signals. The train driver, Jack Mills, was hit overthe head with a metal bar, leaving him unconscious and suffering severe injuries. The gang escaped with £2.61million – worth £46million* today. They received a total of 307 years’ imprisonment.

1971 Baker Street Robbery

Planned by Anthony Gavin, the “WalkieTalkie bank job” (named after a local radio enthusiast who heard the gang’s conversations) was reportedly inspired by the Sherlock Holmes story The Red-Headed League and involved the theft of nearly £3 million (£36.5 million today) and prison terms of 12 years.

1983 Brink’s-Mat Robbery

A gang of six men broke into the Brink’s-Mat warehouse in Heathrow (above). Expecting to find £3million in cash, they left with £26million in gold bullion and diamonds (£85 million today). Thirteen people were jailed for involvement in the Brink’s Mat case, including Reader and Noye. At least nine murders have also been linked to the raid.

1987 Knightsbridge Security Deposit Robbery

Led by Valerio Viccei, the son of an Italian lawyer, the gang escaped from the safe deposit centre after fleeing the vault with as much as £60 million (£167 million today). Viccei fled to Latin America, but returned to England to arrange transportation for his Ferrari Testarossa. He was arrested and jailed for 22 years.

2006 Securitas Depot Robbery

The largest cash heist in British history. A gang of seven stole almost £53 million (£88 million today), leaving behind another £154 million as they couldn’t carry it. Eight people went to jail in connection with it. *Bank of England inflation calculator used for current valuations