© Getty Images
1 / 28 Fotos
The King of Thieves - 'The King of Thieves' is the third film detailing the 2015 robbery of Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd. The A-list cast includes Michael Caine, Ray Winstone, Michael Gambon, and Jim Broadbent.
© Shutterstock
2 / 28 Fotos
The real Hatton Garden job - In April 2015, the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd., an underground safe deposit facility in London's jewellery district, was burgled. The crime has been described as the largest burglary in English legal history.
© Reuters
3 / 28 Fotos
The value of goods - The estimated value of the items stolen has been reported as upto £200 million, but there is some uncertainty because there was no record of what was stored in the vault.
© Shutterstock
4 / 28 Fotos
How they did it - On the evening of April 2, 2015 burglars entered the premises through a lift shaft. The area was quiet due to it being the start of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and Passover.
© Shutterstock
5 / 28 Fotos
Forced entry - They then drilled through the thick vault walls with an industrial power drill.
© Getty Images
6 / 28 Fotos
A tight fit - The thieves crawled through a hole measuring just 45 cm by 25 cm.
© Reuters
7 / 28 Fotos
How it happened - In court it emerged that while the men started drilling their way through the 50 cm wall while one member of the gang acted as a lookout from a building opposite.
© Getty Images
8 / 28 Fotos
The Grandads Gang - The advanced age of the perpetrators caused the press to dub them Dad’s Army, The Diamond Wheezers, The Old Blaggers, and The Grandads Gang.
© Reuters
9 / 28 Fotos
Problem solving - They apparently ran into problems which meant they needed different equipment, so they left the building to get different tools.
© Getty Images
10 / 28 Fotos
Professional - The BBC reported that it would have taken an experienced operator several hours to create the hole.
© Getty Images
11 / 28 Fotos
A weekend job - CCTV later revealed that a group of men entered the building several times over the weekend. They left the building for the last time on the morning of April 5.
© Getty Images
12 / 28 Fotos
Long hours - The burglars worked through the nights to remove luxury items from 72 safety deposit boxes. They moved the items from the vault to a van using wheelie bins.
© Getty Images
13 / 28 Fotos
Missed alert - Scotland Yard received a call in the early hours of Friday, April 3 and were told an intruder alarm had gone off, but reportedly did not respond to the alert.
© Getty Images
14 / 28 Fotos
Police reaction - On Tuesday, April 7, Scotland Yard stated that they were aware of the burglary and CCTV footage of the event was released. The BBC reported the police as describing the robbers as "highly audacious".
© Reuters
15 / 28 Fotos
Arrests - Nine suspects were arrested in May 2015. They included 76-year-old Brian Reader, who was previously involved in laundering the proceeds of the infamous Brink's-Mat robbery, which took place in 1983.
© Getty Images
16 / 28 Fotos
Charges - Eight men, aged between 46 and 76, were charged with conspiracy to burgle following raids across London and Kent.
© Getty Images
17 / 28 Fotos
Sentences - William Lincoln, Terry Perkins, John Collins, Hugh Doyle, Carl Wood, and Daniel Jones were sentenced to a combined total of 34 years in prison for their roles in the robbery.
© Reuters
18 / 28 Fotos
Ringleader - Brian Reader was determined to be the ringleader and sentenced to six years and three months in jail.
© Getty Images
19 / 28 Fotos
Scared - Brian Reader and Carl Wood reportedly decided that the risks were too great and left. The others continued and then took the stolen goods to Enfield, where they were split up. The group thought they had pulled off the crime.
© Reuters
20 / 28 Fotos
Identity issues - Around £3.6 million worth of valuables have been returned to owners, some of it damaged in the theft. Prosecutor Philip Evans QC said "There are items that are not able to be restored to their owners, that is perhaps because someone has not identified it, or perhaps because there are 15 gold wedding rings which appear in a very similar, or same, manner, and people who own them simply aren't able to say whether or not those are theirs."
© Shutterstock
21 / 28 Fotos
Who is Basil? - In the years since, detectives have continued to search for those who evaded capture after the burglary. Their main target has been Basil, a mystery figure who emerged in the investigation.
© Getty Images
22 / 28 Fotos
Mystery helper - Police think that Basil got the gang into the building housing the vault. Those convicted have insisted that they never knew his real name.
© Getty Images
23 / 28 Fotos
Is this Basil? - In April 2018, police arrested Michael Seed, 57, and are said to have found jewellery, gems, and gold ingots in his possession.
© Reuters
24 / 28 Fotos
Michael Caine - Michael Caine plays the ringleader in the movie.
© Getty Images
25 / 28 Fotos
Tom Courtenay - Tom Courtenay joins him as one of the members of the geriatric band of thieves.
© Getty Images
26 / 28 Fotos
Francesca Annis - Francesca Annis, star of 'Reckless' and 'Dune', is also part of the cast.
© BrunoPress
27 / 28 Fotos
Michael Gambon
- The legendary actor is also in the heist movie. See also: Fascinating facts about forensic science to awaken your inner criminologist
© Getty Images
28 / 28 Fotos
How a group of elderly men burgled millions of pounds of jewellery and gems
The fascinating true story of the Hatton Garden heist
© Reuters
During the Easter holidays of 2015, Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd., an underground safe deposit facility in London's jewellery district, was robbed. The 2018 movie 'The King of Thieves' tells the story of this major heist, described as the largest burglary in English legal history.
Take a look back at the reality of the notorious 2015 crime.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU




































MOST READ
- Last Hour
- Last Day
- Last Week
-
1
CELEBRITY Relationships
-
2
LIFESTYLE Exercise
-
3
LIFESTYLE Humanity
-
4
LIFESTYLE Organization
-
5
LIFESTYLE Folklore
-
6
CELEBRITY Acting
-
7
LIFESTYLE History
-
8
TRAVEL Architecture
-
9
LIFESTYLE Warfare
-
10
LIFESTYLE Battle
COMMENTS