The Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Burglary
On the night of April 2–3, 2015, a gang of thieves broke into the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company in London's jewelry quarter by abseiling down a lift shaft, drilling through a reinforced concrete vault wall, and spending two days breaking open 73 safety deposit boxes, stealing jewelry, cash, and other valuables worth an estimated £14 million — though the true figure, given that many depositors did not disclose full contents, is believed to be considerably higher. The burglary was carried out over the Easter bank holiday weekend when the building was closed. It was the largest burglary in English legal history.
The thieves — who came to be known in the press as the "Diamond Wheezers" due to their advanced age — were an aging crew of veteran criminals with a combined age of well over 300 years. Brian Reader, the oldest at 76, was considered the ringleader. The group had decades of experience in armed robbery and burglary dating back to the 1960s and 70s. They used a rented van, professional drilling equipment, and knowledge of the building's security systems to execute the break-in.
Despite the professionalism of the vault entry itself, the gang made critical errors in operational security. They communicated by mobile phone, which was monitored by police, and were captured on multiple CCTV cameras. A Flying Squad surveillance operation identified the suspects within weeks. Multiple members were arrested in 2015 and convicted of conspiracy to commit burglary, receiving sentences ranging from three to seven years.
The majority of the stolen goods — estimated at over £10 million — was never recovered. Investigators believe much of the jewelry was melted down or sold through criminal networks. Several members died before or shortly after trial. The Hatton Garden case became a cultural phenomenon in Britain, inspiring multiple films and television series, partly because of the anachronistic charm of elderly master criminals and partly because the audacity of the technical achievement stood in such contrast to the mundane failures that led to their capture.