Hatton Garden raid arrest: is this Basil’s last brush with law?
POLICE hunting a mystery member of the Hatton Garden safe deposit gang have charged a 57-year-old man in connection with the raid.
Michael Seed, who lives less than two miles from the scene of the £14million heist, is due to appear in court today charged with conspiracy to burgle and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.
The breakthrough comes after a three-year international manhunt for any remaining members of the gang responsible for Britain’s biggest ever burglary. Seven men – who were nicknamed the “diamond geezers” due to their advancing years – were jailed in 2016 for their roles in the audacious raid.
But the police investigation continued after one of the alleged ringleaders – who was only ever identified by his nickname “Basil” – disappeared following the crime.
A Scotland Yard spokesman refused to elaborate on whether they were still looking for “Basil”, but said Mr Seed’s arrest came after a search warrant was executed at a residential address in Liverpool Road, Islington, where “a number of items” had been seized.
With distinctive red hair, it was thought Basil earned the nickname from the other gang members because he resembled Basil Brush, the children’s character.
CCTV footage of the raid allegedly showed the man known as Basil using a set of keys to let the other members of the gang into the safe deposit building in Hatton Garden.
The raid took place over the Easter bank holiday in 2015, and saw the gang make two attempts over two separate nights to drill through a thick concrete wall in order to get into the safe deposit centre. Once inside they spent several hours ransacking 73 of the 999 boxes, before making off with a vast amount of goods transported in wheelie bins.
The gang were apprehended when police scouring CCTV footage saw a white Mercedes driven by John Collins, one of the ringleaders, scouting out the area in the days before the raid.
Police then put the gang under surveillance, even placing bugs in their vehicles and listening to their conversations as they tried to divide up the spoils of the burglary. But while most of the gang members were quickly identified, “Basil” remained a mystery, appearing to disappear completely.
On the night of the raid he remained heavily disguised and took extra care to ensure he was not identifiable on CCTV camera. Conversations between the gang members that were revealed at their trial suggested Basil was not a seasoned criminal and had been brought in because of his knowledge of the building and alarm system.
In one exchange the raiders also hinted that Basil lived overseas. But they also blamed him for triggering an alarm which almost led to the gang being captured in the act.
After drilling the 10in (25cm) by 18in (45cm) hole, Basil, who was younger and slimmer than most of the other members, squeezed through before letting the others into the vault.
John “Kenny” Collins, 77, Daniel Jones, 63, and Terry Perkins, 69, were all jailed for seven years, while William Lincoln, 60, Carl Wood, 59, and Brian Reader, 78, were given six years. Last month Perkins died in prison after suffering a heart attack and Reader is also said to be extremely ill.
In January 2016 the Metropolitan Police admitted they had no idea who the mystery man was and offered a £20,000 reward for information that would lead to his arrest.
Last night a statement from Scotland Yard said: “Detectives from the Met’s Flying Squad investigating the burglary at Hatton Garden Safety Deposit Ltd in April 2015 have this evening, Wednesday 28 March, charged a man.
“Michael Seed, 57, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to burgle and one count conspiracy to conceal or disguise criminal property, contrary to Section 11 of the Criminal Law Act, 1977.”
‘Flying Squad detectives investigating the burglary at Hatton Gardon have this evening arrested a man’