The surveillance on the men was significantly increased and the Dome was placed under close watch. They were observed visiting the exhibition and recording video footage, leading the police to suspect that the exhibition could be a target. It was then found that every time they had visited the attraction, the Thames was at high tide. On 1 September 2000, the team identified three of the suspected robbers – Lee Wenham, Raymond Betson and William Cockram – at the Dome. At a meeting between detectives to discuss the Nine Elms Lane attempted robbery and the information that the informer had provided about the Dome raid, one detective who had recently visited the dome quipped, "Maybe they are after the Millennium jewels?" It was this comment that led to beginning an investigation into the raid. This unsuccessful attack provided the police with important clues and led them to track some of the vehicles that were used in the raid to two isolated farms in rural Kent these properties were then put under 24-hour surveillance.Īfter this unsuccessful robbery, the police received a tip-off about the Dome raid from an informer. They were seconds from taking the money when an unexpected police car appeared the gang shot at the approaching car and again made their escape in an inflatable speedboat.ĭetective Superintendent Jon Shatford stated that this attempted robbery brought to his attention a gang which was capable of carrying out a robbery with this level of planning. This time, the gang got even closer to the cash, with the metal spike being rammed into the van. It was attempted again on 7 July in Aylesford, Kent. The robbers, left with no choice, made their escape in an inflatable speedboat towards Chelsea. The gang's plan failed when a motorist who was late for work removed the keys from the ignition of the unattended Christmas tree lorry. The gang planned to split the security van's rear doors with the ram. This lorry had a huge metal spike welded into the chassis and covered by the foliage. They had planned to use their own lorry, which was carrying Christmas trees, as a battering ram. The gunmen had stopped the security van by blocking off both ends of Nine Elms Lane. In February 2000, armed men tried to pull off a £10 million raid on a security van in Nine Elms, South London. During the intelligence gathering, the location of the robbery was found to be the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. The police spent a number of months developing intelligence on the plot and set up an operation that they codenamed Operation Magician. The location of this robbery was unclear, but the identities of some of the robbers were known to the police. In the summer of 2000, the Flying Squad became aware of a major armed robbery plot after a tip-off was received. If the heist had succeeded, then with a haul of £350 million worth of diamonds (equivalent to £627 million in 2021 ), it would have become one of the biggest robberies in history.
#The very organized thief christmas tree trial#
The operation to foil the robbery was the biggest operation undertaken in the Flying Squad's history and at trial the judge in the case commended the way it was carried out. The attempted robbery was foiled by the Flying Squad (lead by Jon Shatford) of the Metropolitan Police Service, as a result of information from Kent Police Serious Crime who already had the gang members under surveillance for their suspected roles in a number of unsuccessful armoured vehicle robberies. Also on display were priceless blue diamonds. The De Beers diamond exhibition had a number of jewels on display, including the Millennium Star, a flawless 203.04-carat (40.608 g) gem with an estimated worth of £200 million (equivalent to £358 million in 2021 ) and considered one of the most perfect gems in the world.
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The gang had then planned to escape via the Thames in a speedboat. A local gang planned to ram-raid the De Beers diamond exhibition which was being held in the riverside Dome at the time. The Millennium Dome raid was an attempted robbery of the Millennium Dome's diamond exhibition in Greenwich, South East London occurring on 7 November 2000.