 |
The vault at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit company in London
The four ringleaders of the Hatton Garden raid must pay £27.5m or serve another seven years in jail each, a judge has ruled. John 'Kenny' Collins, 77, Daniel Jones, 63, and Terry Perkins, 69,
are each serving seven-year sentences, while Brian Reader, 78, is serving six years and three months, for their roles in the notorious burglary.
At Woolwich Crown Court today, Judge Christopher Kinch said the men jointly benefited from an estimated £13.69m worth of cash, gold and gems stolen from the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit.
He ruled they must pay £27.5m based on their available assets.
|
 |
Reader was jailed for six years and three months after admitting conspiracy to burgle
If they fail to pay their share of the total sum, they will have seven years added to their jail sentences.
It means some of the gang members, who are unwell, could die behind bars.
Speaking at the confiscation hearing, the judge said: "A number of these defendants are not only of a certain age, but have in some cases serious health problems.
"But as a matter of principle and policy it is very difficult to endorse any approach that there is a particular treatment for someone who chooses to go out and commit offences at the advanced stage of their lives that some of these defendants were."
|
 |
Daniel Jones will have to pay £6,649,827 or face another seven years in prison
Collins' share is £7,686,039, which was ordered after the court heard he has assets in "liquid form" and property both in the UK and abroad.
Perkins must pay £6,526,571. His barrister told the court he would have to sell his flat in Portugal, but will serve the default sentence as he had "no prospect of any further funds".
Perkins, from Enfield, has been diagnosed with severe heart failure. Jones, also from Enfield, must pay £6, 649,827.
He too will serve the default time, as he only has cash in his bank and no further assets. Reader, who did not appear in court,
was ordered to pay £6,644,951, which will include the sale of his £639,800 home and land he owns, worth £533,000.
|
 |
The men stole millions of pounds worth of cash, gems and jewellery in the raid
His lawyer said the sentence does not have to be long for it to mean "in reality, he will serve the rest of his life in custody".
The gang ransacked 73 boxes at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit when they carried out the raid in Easter 2015.
They used a drill to bore a hole into the vault's wall. Earlier today plumber Hugh Doyle was fined £367.50 for his "general criminal conduct" in the Hatton Garden raid.
|
 |
The inside of the vault at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company
Doyle was convicted in January 2016 for providing safe access to a yard where the stolen property was moved between vehicles.
But the judge who delivered the ruling agreed Doyle had not benefited himself from the raid, but deemed him to have a "criminal lifestyle".
Doyle had around £27,000 in his bank account which was unaccounted for, which the judge said was from the proceeds of general criminal conduct.
Although the exact figure of the stolen goods has fluctuated throughout the trial, police have only recovered around £4m.
Some of that was recovered in a graveyard in Edmonton, after Sky News alerted police.
The Hatton Garden raid story was turned into a film starring Larry Lamb and Phil Daniels, which was released over Easter last year.
|
