£660K LEGAL AID BILL FOR HATTON GANG Payout shock as police hunt £10m of gems

THE Hatton Garden gems heist gang used up more than £660,000 legal aid – as police hunted a missing £10million haul.

Getaway driver “Billy the Fish” Lincoln, 60, was granted £185,449 to fight claims he was in the £14million raid. Carl Wood, 59, who has Crohn’s disease and claims disability benefit, had £175,717 legal aid.

Plumber Hugh Doyle, 49, got £166,583.73. Four others – Daniel Jones, 60, and Terence Perkins, 67, plus ringleaders John Collins, 75, and Brian Reader, 76 – shared aid of £138,300.62.

In total the gang received £666,052.21, documents obtained by us under the Freedom of Information Act reveal.

Police say £ 10million of loot is still missing after the gang drilled into a vault to raid safety deposit boxes in London’s jewellery quarter in April last year.

A source said: “These were elderly men looking for one last payday. But when it came to taking responsibility they dragged out a court case that cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

The legal aid is given to solicitors after the cases. But the documents show some fees for Doyle have yet to be paid.

The s ource added: “These astronomical levels are only going to increase. It’s crazy.” The eight gang members caught were jailed for a total of 34 years. Lincoln got seven years, Wood and Reader six and Doyle received a suspended sentence.

The Ministry of Justice said: “Anyone facing a crown court trial is eligible for legal aid, subject to a strict means test.

“Those who meet relevant thresholds may be required to pay a significant contribution towards defence costs.”