THE DAY SHERLOCK INSPIRED RAID ON IMPREGNABLE BANK
opens the account with no questions asked.” After that Tucker was able to come and go as he pleased. He often went into the vault on his own and measured out dimensions with his umbrella.
Then Gavin asked another associate, Benjamin Wolfe, to sign the lease for Le Sac, an abandoned leather goods shop two doors down from the bank.
Every weekend over three months the crew would tunnel the 40ft to the bank vault, digging out eight tons of rubble in the process.
It was an exceedingly dangerous activity.as Roy Navarro, an explosive ordnance disposal expert, puts it: “If the tunnel collapses on to them it’s game over. No one’s going to call the paramedics to tell them, ‘Hey, we have a person who is underground and needs help’.”
Prof Taylor adds: “This is not a glamorous robbery. It’s dark. It’s claustrophobic. It’s hot. There’s very little oxygen.”
A 100-ton jack and a thermal lance acquired by another of the gang, Thomas Stephens, failed to breach the vault.
So in desperation the robbers resorted to using explosives.
Roy says: “It’s very easy to mess up. One small error and you’re done. Using explosives in a tunnel is a great way to kill yourself. It becomes a question: are they going to blow themselves up or bury themselves alive?”
In another remarkable twist, the gang had placed a lookout on a neighbouring roof, who remained in touch via walkie-talkie.
BUT in the middle of the night, their chatter was quite by chance intercepted by Robert Rowlands, a nearby amateur radio enthusiast. He phoned the police, who at first dismissed his concerns.
Refusing to give up, Rowlands then taped the robbers’ broadcasts and the police finally took him seriously. They started checking out all the banks in the vicinity but failed to inspect the vault of the Lloyds Bank properly, and the gang got away. A media frenzy ensued. The gang were soon dubbed “The Master Moles” and the crime became known as the “Walkie-talkie Heist”.
But the villains did not evade capture for long. In the gang’s one crucial slip-up, Wolfe signed the lease for Le Sac in his own name.
After police apprehended him, they linked him to Gavin, Tucker and Stephens. Those three got 12-year sentences, while Wolfe was handed an eight-year stretch.
Yet some of the criminals were not captured, prompting speculation about police corruption.
Pierce asks: “Could the lack of arrests be due to some investigators blackmailing suspects to get their own piece of the pie?”
Why, then, does this particular robbery continue to grip us?
Ben Ando, former BBC crime correspondent and co-presenter of true crime podcast You Didn’t Let Me Finish!, says: “There are so many extraordinary elements. It’s a great caper. If you thought, ‘Which crime would make a good film?’, this would absolutely be it. It ticks lots of boxes. There’s the element that it was inspired by Sherlock Holmes and there are the safety deposit boxes belonging to the rich and famous.
“It has a gang with their own idiosyncrasies and personalities.
“It has the tunnelling. It has the dramatic tension where they run the serious risk of blowing themselves up.and then of course, they actually get away with the loot.
“It also carries the delight of seeing rich people robbed of stuff that a lot of people would never have. Nobody wants to glamorise crime, but at the same time, there is an inherent glamour to this which is fascinating for people.”
Pierce agrees: “We’re always beguiled by men who do this.
“As long as the bad guy is clever and doesn’t hurt anybody – no blood, no body count – you can say, ‘Gosh, will he get away with it? He did!’ That brings a smile.
“They’re very charming men, a lot of these guys.
“I think that’s the appeal of this show, the audacity and the courage that these men portray, the planning and the scheming.
“Some of these guys are just off-the-planet crazy, but also brilliant. Just brilliant. It takes balls to go out there and do what they do.”
Another reason behind our fixation with the robbery is the salacious stories that have persisted about the compromising nature of some of the material stolen.
It is thought a “D-notice” advising against publication was served on the media immediately after the crime took place.
This fuelled rumours about incriminating photos of the Royal Family and prominent MPS that have swirled around for decades.
Prof Taylor agrees: “The mystery surrounding this case allows for multiple conspiracy theories.
“Is this about protecting the Royal Family? Is this political corruption of the highest order?
“All the documentation is held in the National Archives. These documents are under embargo for at least 100 years. They won’t be released till at least 2071.
“What’s being covered up? Why is this still a national secret?”
Pierce adds: “The final tally stolen from Lloyds Bank in Baker Street is said to be £8million – that’s £100million today. Only a fraction of it was ever recovered.
“But it’s not the record haul, or even the bold planning that makes the heist memorable. These criminals channelled Sherlock Holmes and played a cat and mouse game with Scotlandyard.and won.”
Greatest Heists with Pierce Brosnan begins tomorrow at 10pm on Sky History