Police made the connection between a newly acquired pub and Gavin. [5] According to Paul Lashmar, the head of journalism at the University of Sussex, Gavin was a member of a gang headed by Brian Reader, who was also involved in the burglary,[6][7][8][d] although Reader firmly denies that he had any involvement in the events at Baker Street. Because these robbers weren't the criminal mastermind their unbelievable heist made them appear. Shortly afterwards Rowlands and listening policemen heard the final radio broadcast "Would you like to change to the other channel, over". Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The now elderly Reader made the claims at his trial for involvement in another famous robbery, the 2015 heist of the safety deposit boxes at London's Hatton Garden. [3] Although the common name for the events is the "Baker Street Robbery", it is legally defined as a burglary. The unsolved crime mystery of Marilyn Sheppard. Baker Street robbery, September 1971. . We want you to mind for one hour from now until approximately one o'clock and then to go off the air, get some sleep and come on the air with both radios at six o'clock in the morning. For instance, the 2005 National Crime . Worlds Biggest Heists London Hatton Garden 200m Diamond Robbery, Easter 2015. Empty deposit boxes lay scattered everywhere- the missing contents of which were estimated to be around 3 million (approximately 41 million in todays money). In 2008, The Bank Job a film inspired by the Baker Street robbery- was released, starring Jason Statham. The robbers had rented the leather goods shop LeSac, two doors north of the bank, and tunnelled a distance of approximately 50 feet (15m) passin. Jordan Bowen reports. [32] At one stage in the morning a waiter from the Chicken Inn restaurant heard noises from within the bank and peered through the windows of the building to see if anything could be seen. Takings: None; the robbery was unsuccessful. As soon as Tucker was alone, he would measure the room using the span of his arms and an umbrella he brought with him; he was aided in getting exact measurements by the regularly sized floor tiles, each of which was nine inches (23cm) square. [24][14] The tunnel, which needed no supports, was later described in court as "a magnificent piece of engineering". The interior of the vault was mapped out by one gang member using an umbrella and the span of his arms to measure the dimensions and location of the furniture. The Metropolitan Police didn't need the world's greatest detective in the end, and at least some of the culprits were eventually caught. Nobody was ever arrested. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. [14] The bank provided the police with the names of 260 box owners; eight others refused to allow their names to be passed on. Despite that there had to be more involved, including a woman, whose voice was taped by Mr Rowlands, these four were the only people charged. [29] By the time they had finished, the exit of the tunnel measured 12 by 14 inches (30 by 36cm).[3]. The two Gangjis were found not guilty,[59] Stephens, Tucker and Gavin were each given sentences of twelve years; Wolfe received eight yearsshorter than the others on account of his age. The Baker Street Robbery. [49][n] The case opened in the High Court in 1977, by which time there were 138 plaintiffs seeking damages of 660,000. The . Radio ham Robert Rowlands, whose recordings of the robbery first alerted police, says his tapes and radio equipment were then seized and a D-notice placed on further reporting. "Men on notes charge get bail of 75,000". This website uses cookies and some data tracking to improve your experience and serve adverts, We assume you're ok with this, you can opt-out if you wish. They found the vault secure; they were unable to open the vault to check as it was time locked. No weapons were brandished, nor were any alarms triggered. Quietly released a few years later, they all disappeared into obscurity. If MI5 were involved in planning the robbery, then they made some inexplicable errors which led to the certain capture of their thieves. A gang tunnelled 40 feet (12 m) from a rented shop two doors away to come up through the floor of the vault. If they have such a powerful mechanism to cover up their activities, it begs the question as to why the robbery was even needed. [55][k], The two Gangjis were remanded in custody until 16 November, when bail was set at 75,000. It is highly probable MI5, the UK's internal intelligence service, was at least keeping tabs on Margaret. [30] Lord Hailsham owned one of the boxes in the bank; at the time of the robbery he was Lord Chancellor, the most senior member of the judiciary. Whatever the case, she had already compromised herself; a photograph of Margaret with the then wanted criminal Bindon was widely circulated in Fleet Street, although not actually printed by the press until many years later. They used athermal lanceto try to break into the vault but ultimately had to use explosives. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The Baker Street robbery was the burglary of the safe deposit boxes at the Baker Street, London branch of Lloyds Bank, on the night of 11 September 1971. [3][c] A former army physical training instructor with connections to several career criminals, Gavin is described by the journalists Tom Pettifor and Nick Sommerlad as "a forceful personality [who] had the propensity to be physically threatening". They . Anthony Gavin, 38, a photographer from Brownlow Road in Dalston; Thomas Gray Stephens, 35, a car dealer from Maygood Street in Islington; and Reginald Samuel Tucker, 37, a company director . "30,000 bail for man on bank raid charge". Eventually persuaded, they set out on a frantic search of hundreds of London's banks in an attempt to thwart the raid. [15][e], In May 1971 the owners of the leather goods shop Le Sac at 189 Baker Streettwo doors down from the banksold the lease of the property for 10,000 to Benjamin Wolfe, a 64-year-old seller of ornaments and knick-knacks, and a contact of several gang members. Mr Bindon died of an Aids-related illness in 1993, while Margaret died of a stroke in 2002. Atreides Management is a crossover fund that invests in high-growth technology and consumer companies across public and private markets with a long-term perspective. Click a location below to find Anthony more easily. It is hard to understand why they would do this if there wasn't some element of national security involved. Instead, they sent their men on a wild goose chase of more than 170 banks across ten miles of north-west London, massively decreasing the odds that they would find the correct location in time. Police found the members of the gang soon after the break in; one of the burglars, Benjamin Wolfe, had signed the lease for Le Sac in his own name and informers provided information that led to Gavin. We use multiple approaches to monitor cardiac function in experimental preparations that span a range of complexity from contraction of myofilaments in-vitro, intact single cells . Writers Dick Clement and Ian le Frenais say they based their script on inside information from a journalist who was involved with the story back in 1971. The Perpetrators: Anthony Gavin, Thomas Stephens . . The Baker Street Robbery is one of the most notorious and costly bank robberies in Britain's history. The entry hole he, Tucker and a third gang member created in Le Sac was 15 inches (38cm) wide[21] and through 6 inches (15cm) of concrete. The unsolved mystery of the Van Meter Visitor a winged creature! [25][36] Scotland Yard sent members of the Flying Squad to listen to the tapes, and they confirmed that they thought a burglary was taking place. The voices belonged to two men with cockney accents who were conversing via walkie-talkies over the citizen band which, at the time, was illegal to use in the UK. The story of the Baker Street raid was made into the 2008 film The Bank Job, starring Jason Statham and Daniel Mays. Yet the gang who committed the heist managed to make off with an absolute fortune. Rowlands had informed the police that the range of the transmissions meant the robbers must be nearby - within about a mile of his Wimple Street flat. He contacted police and tape recorded the conversations while the robbery was in progress, but there was insufficient information to identify which bank was being robbed. Anthony is related to Melinda Renee Garner . He called the police, who initially did not take him seriously, so he used a small cassette recorder to make a recording of the burglars' conversations. Id love to know the answers to those questions too! Was the target something so sensitive it could be used to blackmail one of the powerful clients? . The owner of Le Sac was 66 year old Benjamin Wolfe of Dovercourt Road, East Dulwich who, using his own name, had leased the shop to the gang. The value of the goods that were stolen during the heist is still unknown as the police only managed to retrieve a small sum. The original heist was performed in the same manner. Two others were brought in for the job, one of whom was an explosives expert. [72], In 2011 The Baker Street Robbery, a documentary on the burglary, was broadcast on The History Channel; the programme included an interview with Robert Rowlands and the recordings he made of the robbery. was arobberyof the safe deposit boxes at a branch ofLloyds Bankon the corner ofBaker StreetandMarylebone Road,London, on the night of 11September 1971. [61] Four days into the trial, the judge visited the bank and the rooms where the property had been on show. John "The Face" Goodwin, Tony Gavin and another man known as Little Legs. In recent years, the tabloid Daily Mirror has revealed that they and other major newspapers of the time were approached by senior government officials and asked to drop the story. No big pay-days from the tabloids to tell their story, no lucrative book deals. We are happy to work with other website publishers. Real name Michael De Freteis, Michael X was a London gangster, drug dealer and slum landlord in the 1960s and 70s. In the story, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson pre-empt the burglars and are in the vault when they break in. Naturally there was much interest in the case. "Accused tells of 'shock' over 1.5m bank raid". Micheal X's MI5 file is locked up until 2054, 83 years after the robbery and 79 years after his death. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Reggie is resident barrister, his brother Neil is in the US. monkey in the middle math; arp church bulletin. One of the men appeared to be inside the unidentified branch whilst the other was perched on the roof acting as a lookout. The robbers had rented the leather goods shop Le Sac, two doors north of the bank, and tunnelled a distance of approximately 50 feet (15 m) passing under the intervening Chicken Inn restaurant. Bank practice of the time was for staff to leave customers in private while visiting the vault. Wheres Anthony Gavin and the others convicted now? The value of the property stolen is unknown, but is likely to have been between 1.25 and 3 million; [lower-alpha 1] only . Required fields are marked *. Wimpole Street, from where Robert Rowlands intercepted an unusual broadcast. They didn't succeed. BECOME A MEMBER of LUX REPORT - Get Exclusive Member Videos & Added Perks! Menu. 185 Baker Street, Marylebone, London NW1, between 10 and 13 September . https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzJKhpchQlDWMNBb3qgqlZQ/join SUBSCRIBE to LU. Stephens, Tucker, Wolfe and Gavin were charged with breaking into the bank and stealing the contents of the security boxesvalued at a minimum of 1.5millionand of possessing explosives; the two Gangjis were charged with handling stolen goods. Allegations that there is a systematic cover-up of a child-sex ring at that highest level of British politics persists even today. Title Role Productions. First voice: Look, the place is filled with fumes where we was cutting. It was a professional and carefully planned operation, but one that raised some nagging questions that have never been satisfactorily answered. She was notorious for her louche lifestyle and association with several disreputable and criminal figures. Newspapers and later publications provided the following estimates: 231,000 in 1973 equates to approximately 2,972,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the, 2,500 in 1973 equates to approximately 32,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the, 75,000 in 1971 equates to approximately 1,128,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the, 30,000 in 1971 equates to approximately 451,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the, 500,000 in 1973 equates to approximately 6,433,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the, 660,000 in 1977 equates to approximately 4,362,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the, 3,000 to 4,000 in 1971 equates to approximately 45,000 to 60,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the. In September of 1971 a branch of Lloyds Bank in Baker Street, London was robbed. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. This film reveals what was hidden in those boxes. There's no doubt that the Baker Street heist was brilliantly executed in some respects, but in others ways, it was sloppy and amateurish. The gang had posted a lookout on a nearby roof, who was in contact via walkie-talkie, and their broadcasts were accidentally overheard by Robert Rowlands, an amateur radio enthusiast. Highly skilled investigative journalist, producer and consultant for TV, film and radio Programmes as consultant/interviewee Reporter Al-Jazeera Who Paid for Brexit? Police checked the 750banks within 10miles of MrRowlands receiver, including the Baker Street bank. At 2am a senior police officer alerted radio detector vans to track down the gang. The gang initially tried to use a jack to force a hole in the vault floor and when this failed they used a thermal lance. [63][p] Another customer complained that he saw a ring in a wastepaper bin, that it was too easy to steal some of the smaller items, if one wished, and that one of the bank assistants had told him that two people had tried to claim the same pair of candlesticks. At 11:30pm, he phoned the police; the local police officer thought it was a prank call, and told Rowlands that he should record the conversation if anything interesting was overheard. [30] He heard comments over the radio that made him think a local cigarette shop was being burgled. Police always suspected that not only were there others involved but that there must have been a mastermind behind such a daring raid. Subscribe to my email list to receive my new posts directly. Lloyds Bank, on the corner of Baker Street and Marylebone Road, London. . Gavin, Tucker and Stephens were sentenced to twelve years in prison; Wolfe received a sentence of eight years, less than the others as he was in his 60s. The Baker Street robbery involved four principal players, none of whom had a record or reputation for the higher leagues of crime. The Baker Street Robbery SUMMARY SUMMARY Benjamin Wolfe, Anthony Gavin, Reg Tucker and Thomas Stephens were all arrested October of 1971 due to Benjamin Wolfe signing a lease to Le Sac in his own name, giving police information that led to Gavin. The possibility that them getting caught and going to prison was part of the deal can't be overlooked, but it's a hefty price to pay however much the men were paid. Wolfe was quickly apprehended and the other gang members, all known associates of Wolfe, soon followed. Princess Margaret's whirlwind romance with a London gangster was previously linked to a bank robbery in Baker Street. The Baker Street robbery was the burglary of the safe deposit boxes at the Baker Street, London branch of Lloyds Bank, on the night of 11 September 1971. . [25] The gang placed a lookout man on a rooftop overlooking the bank, and kept in contact by using walkie-talkies. Disheartened by his earlier call to the law and now armed with recordings, Robert decided to go higher up and phoned Scotland Yard directly at around 1am. Anthony Gavin, Thomas Stephens and Reginald Tucker were jailed for their part in the robbery. LAKELAND, Fla. - More than 100 people are facing charges after the latest undercover operation targeting human trafficking in Polk County. Although not named, rumors have circulated for decades that this royal was the Queen's sister Princess Margaret. As the night wore on, the two men continued to crop up on the air. Browse Locations. they reached their peak by pulling off the 1971 Baker . Some of the rumours inspired the story for the 2008 film The Bank Job. 37, a company director, Tony Gavin, 38, a photographer from Dalston & Tom Stephens, 35, a car dealer from Islington. [53] Informers provided the first names of two of the gang members and incomplete details of a pub that had been taken over by another member. When this also failed to work, they used gelignite to blast a way through. Whether this was an honest mistake, incompetence or a deliberate blind eye been turned is now impossible to say. The location of the bank was one block down from Holmes's address, Reader, another career criminal, was later involved in the 1983, 10,000 in 1971 equates to approximately 150,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the. In the film an underworld figure named Michael X is storing sexual photographs of Margaret taken on her holiday home in Mustique in the Baker Street vault with the intention of using them to blackmail the British establishment into turning a blind eye to his criminal activities. They were small time crooks, petty thieves and con men who had never done anything even remotely on the scale of the Baker Street job before. The officers moved on. It has often been reported that after four days of news coverageBritishauthorities issued aD-Notice, requesting that such reporting be discontinued for reasons of national security and that the story disappeared from newspapers. London True Crime: The Baker Street Robbery. "Ethereal dialogue from a fume-filled vault". Hey foodies, looking to support a local restaurant? [39], Police contacted bank staff and local security firms to open up their branches as they began to check 750 banks in an 8-mile (13km) radius. Anthony Gavin, Thomas Stevens, Reginald Tucker and an unidentified accomplice rented a leather shop called Le Sac, which was two shops over from the Lloyd's Bank located at the corner of Baker St. and Marylebone Rd. Rowlands, the aforementioned ham radio operator, claims that the police attempted to prevent him from talking to the press by means of the D-Notice, which he felt was an attempt to hide police incompetence. This time a senior officer regarded the matter far more seriously and, although Robert insisted the signal was very close to Wimpole Street, it was decided that all banks within an eight mile radius- 750 in total- would need to be searched. These cookies do not store any personal information. cash and jewels and they were suspected to have taken royal family secrets too! On Monday morning the manager of the Baker Street Lloyds branch opened for business and was horrified by the scene that met him. [58], The trial of the four gang members and the two Gangjis opened on 2 January 1973. Whom had a record or reputation for the higher leagues of crime robbery and 79 years after his death use... Were jailed for their part in the US robberies in Britain & # x27 ; s whirlwind with... Record or reputation for the Job, one of whom was an honest mistake, or. Inside the unidentified branch whilst the other gang members, all known associates of wolfe soon... 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