01x03 - Cops and Robbers

[bunniefuu]

[upbeat, engaging music playing]

[sirens wailing in distance]

[Tony] We arrived at the Dome. We backed
the truck in up to the emergency exit

that led down to
the basement area.

We posted lookouts,

and then we waved them down.

We needed guys fully equipped,

immediately on scene when the robbers
went in to commit the armed robbery,

so we'd catch them with
their fingers in the till.

In addition to that, there'd
be myself and three other guys

disguised as cleaners.

♪ Let's start the show
The world lights up... ♪

[Tony] These people
were dangerous,

so members of the public
could have been in danger

if we'd ended up in
some sort of firefight.

[g*ns loading, c*ck]

[Tony] We managed
it to the nth degree

to minimize if not
eliminate that danger.

♪ Come on, let's
start the show... ♪

[Tony] But there's always
something that can go wrong.

There's always something that
you might not have thought of.

[upbeat music continues]

♪ Yeah ♪

[music ends]

[animals calling in distance]

[dramatic music playing]

[Lee] I couldn't
sleep that night

'cause a big thing's
gonna happen the next day.

[thrilling music playing]

Everything was going
through my head.

If it's gonna be all right,

if this is gonna happen,

if the boat's gonna be on time,

if everybody's gonna be in place,
all that sort of stuff, you know?

But I was feeling very positive,
really did think it was gonna work.

[compelling string
music playing]

[John] Everything was
at the go position...

for us to catch them
stealing the diamonds.

The criminals were still
totally unawares we were there,

but I was fearful in case there was
an element that we hadn't known about,

and that we were
gonna be surprised.

The pressure on the Flying
Squad was tremendous.

We knew these men had already
fired weapons at police officers.

[Neil] What if they pulled g*ns
and started firing indiscriminately

to try to escape?

That if this went wrong,

it would be a disaster
for the Flying Squad.

But I knew either way,

we would have a
pretty great story.

[ethereal music playing]

[Carol] The Flying Squad organized a
briefing at two o'clock in the morning

for everybody involved.

There was kind of a nervous
excitement, I think...

because we all wanted
this to happen.

We'd been building up to this for months.
There was a real sense of anticipation.

[g*n c*ck]

[thrilling music playing]

You could see all the different
organizations all looking around,

looking at each other and going,
"Today's the day. It's gonna be good."

[John] This g*ng were planning on
pulling off the largest robbery

in world history,

and if we were gonna catch
these people and convict them,

we needed to catch
them in the act.

We also had to think about
the safety of others.

[compelling string
music playing]

[John] Our plan had been
to catch them at the vault

because then they were in
an enclosed environment.

There was no backdrop where
people could get injured

by stray g*nf*re
that was going off.

[Carol] My role was to be in
the vicinity of the vault.

I was dressed as Dome staff,

and, at the time, the vault
was closed for cleaning

to make sure no members of
the public were in there

when the attack happened.

[Jools] I was in my car just
inside the perimeter of the Dome,

and I had direct line of
communication with SO19

and also John Swinfield, who was
in the control room at the Dome.

[John] The Dome had something
like 130 cameras in there,

and we had outside
broadcast cameras...

[helicopter blades whirring]

...as well as helicopter cover
giving what we call "heli-telly."

All that was being fed
into the main control room,

where I was sitting, so I could
see where they were at any time,

and I had a clear perspective
of what was happening.

And De Beers had constant
CCTV that watched the vault.

When the robbers entered the vault,
I was to give the code word "jaguar."

[growling lowly]

I can tell you, quite honestly, I
was very excited by the very fact

that, you know, these bad men were
going to be nabbed on the job.

I wanted these robbers caught

because they'd given me a
headache for the whole year.

[Jools] But at this stage,

we still weren't aware how they were
actually going to do the ultimate robbery.

[seagulls calling]

[g*n c*ck, firing]

[dramatic operatic
music playing]

[elevator dings]

[music fades]

Game on.

[intense music plays]

[Lee] My job was to plan
how to steal the diamonds.

[g*n c*ck, firing]

[Lee] But on the
day of the raid,

the plan was for Ray, Bill,
Aldo, and Bob to drive the JCB.

[Michael] The safest time
for them to rob the Dome

would probably be in the morning,
when they opened the vault up,

and before the crowds
were let into the Dome.

During the daytime, it's daylight,
and you're gonna be seen.

A lot more attention.

So, to create a distraction
once the JCB was in,

we came up with the idea to throw
smoke grenades to make a screen.

They'd have about five minutes to get
into the Dome, steal the diamonds,

get down to the water
before the police turned up.

Plenty of time.

[JCB motor revs]

[g*n c*ck, firing]

Terry was gonna be over here,
to the other side of the river,

waiting to pick everyone up.

Van in position.

[Lee] Kevin Meredith was in the
boat waiting on the Thames, here.

Boat's in position.

[Lee] And I'm lying low
to keep my head down,

and just, uh, waiting
for that call.

Come and pick your
money up. [chuckles]

[clock ticking]

[John] The Dome
opens at 9:00 a.m.

[bell chimes]

[John] And members of the
public were coming in.

[indistinct chattering]

[indistinct radio chatter]

The next thing we hear is
that the JCB is on the move

from its forward position,
which is about a mile away.

[g*n c*ck, firing]

[John] So, the
attack is imminent.

[suspenseful music playing]

[John, on radio] All units stand by.
Silver Command, Operation Magician.

We are now active,
active, active.

We'd heard over
our communications

that the digger was making its way
towards the perimeter of the Dome.

[suspenseful music continues]

The surveillance team were
positioned around the main entrance

because we... we naturally thought
that is likely to be the best way in.

[John] The JCB
takes up a position

behind a fence.

We still didn't know what they
were planning with the JCB.

Me and my colleague, we were
like, "What's it doing?"

"Are they gonna
drop people off?"

Uh, how... you know,
what's the purpose of it?

[Lee] We're all ready to go.

[Bill, on radio] Five
minutes, be ready.

- Roger that.
- So, let's do it.

[boat motor roaring]

[John, on radio] All units,
we are now at state red.

[gear clanking]

[Carol] There was CCTV, but, inside,
I wasn't sure about where it was.

I knew it was somewhere
in the vicinity.

We both started to walk towards
the outer skin of the Dome.

We both stood there for
probably 30 seconds or so

and had a look out,
couldn't see anything.

[music darkens]

[John] All of a sudden,

it just goes over this huge
bollard like it was a twig.

[metal crashing, crunching]

[John] It was only then when it
smashes through a heavy steel gate

that I finally realized exactly
what they were going to do next.

But by then...

it was too late.

[JCB motor roaring]

- [people screaming]
- We just ran.

- [metal crashing]
- [glass shattering]

It was so unexpected.

[JCB motor roaring]

They're in the Dome. They've
crashed through the Dome.

Smashing through the Dome
wasn't something we planned for.

So, had the attack
gone in at that point,

it would have been armed
officers attacking a tank.

[JCB motor rumbling]

[Lee] Bill and Bob
go into the vault.

Aldo jumps out and starts
throwing smoke grenades

to distract the cameras.

Bill, with the Hilti g*n,
smashes through the glass.

Bob, with a sledgehammer, starts
smashing to get the diamonds out.

[Hilti g*n fires]

[glass shards clattering]

[suspenseful music playing]

[Lee] Once they've
grabbed the diamonds,

they run down to the boat
waiting on the Thames.

- [Bill] Go, go, go!
- [Aldo] Yes!

[Bill] Come on!

[all yelling indistinctly]

[epic music playing]

[all laughing and cheering]

[Lee] The boat goes
across the Thames...

where Terry's waiting
for them in the van.

The van takes off.

[tires squealing]

[Lee] f*ck yeah,
they've done it!

[seagulls squawking]

[upbeat song playing]

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ I ain't a liar ♪

♪ I'm just out here trying ♪

♪ So if you hear me holler ♪

- ♪ It's all about a dollar ♪
- ♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Surviving is
duckin' and a-divin' ♪

♪ I ain't being funny ♪

♪ It's all about the money ♪

- ♪ Yeah ♪
- ♪ And I ain't even lying ♪

[song ends abruptly]

That's how it was
supposed to happen.

[producer] Cut!

[Lee] But things don't always
work out as you planned.

[machine rewinding,
clicks to stop]

[intense music playing]

All units stand by. We
are now at state red.

[Tony] It's on. It's happening.

Now we're like,
"We've gotta go."

"We gotta get to our
final as*ault position."

By letting them get into the vault
and do it, they were fish in a barrel.

When the robbers entered the vault, that
was when I gave the alarm, "jaguar."

- [jaguar growls]
- [John, on radio] All units, strike.

[growls]

[Tony] This is it.

[growls]

[officers yelling] Down on the
ground! Down on the ground!

[officer 1] Move,
on the ground, now!

[tool clatters]

[officer 2] Stay down!
Stay down! Don't move!

Meanwhile, on the other
side of the river...

[sirens wailing]

...Flying Squad officers
had descended on Millman

and arrested him in the van.

[on radio] Chris, it's Tony.
Your boat is a speedboat,

a white speedboat.

[officer, on radio] We've got
a speedboat with a red stripe.

We've got two boats
going on it now.

[John] By that time, the SO19
RIBs have closed in on the boat.

[officer, on radio] We're
returning. We've got it.

Heard over the radio that
the scene had been secured,

and it was confirmed that all
the suspects had been arrested.

[dramatic opera music playing]

[sirens wailing]

[John] An operation that
took months to plan...

was over in about three minutes.

We got the result...

with everybody accounted for.

Apart from Lee Wenham.

[birds chirping]

[g*nshots firing]

[Lee] I was waiting to get a call from Ray
to say he's done it, we're millionaires.

He hadn't called, so I was
starting to get worried.

I was just feeling very anxious,

uh, listening to the
radio in the car,

see if I can hear anything on
there about the raid going on.

- Got to the farm, police everywhere.
- [sirens wailing]

[officers] On the ground!

[Lee] And then policemen
put a g*n through the window

and dragged me out of
the car and arrested me.

[melancholy music playing]

[Lee] It all happened so quick.

Your head's spinning.

Then it sinks in. f*ck it, I've
lost all that money, you know?

[flames roaring]

[Lee] I was gonna
be a millionaire.

[fire blows out]

[Lee] And then it's gone.

And that's the gamble you take.

You play with fire,
you get burned.

And I got burned.
[chuckles ruefully]

[cell door clangs shut]

[Lee] Went into
Belmarsh on remand.

Because my dad was providing the farm
as a safe house, they arrested him too.

Whatever possessions you
have, they take away from you,

put you through a scanner,
um, strip searched,

uh, given a number, and then basically
you're just shown to your wing.

I felt pretty sh*t.

As a youngster, I wanted to
be like my dad and his mates.

Just wanted the respect of people
and do something with my life.

So it was f*cking
gutting, terrible feeling.

But, as we walked
onto the wing...

[inmates cheering]

...the whole f*cking wing
were standing up and clapping.

[triumphant music playing]

So, to get that respect from
them people, it felt great, yeah.

But then reality hits.
You realize where you are.

[music fades]

f*ck, I'm in prison.

[somber music playing]

[Lee] There's all manner of things going
through your mind, but first thing is,

you're not gonna be
there for your kids.

You're not gonna see
them for a long time.

Because I knew I've got at
least 10 or 15 years coming now,

inside.

It made me feel...

made me feel terrible that my
kids had to go through that.

My first few weeks, I handled it
pretty well 'cause I had my dad there.

Then I got a letter
from my daughter

that came with a couple of
photographs of my daughters.

As soon as I saw their faces, it
just brought it all back to me.

What I'm missing, and
them kids missing from me.

You know, I'm not there
to look after them.

[Beth] I noticed
he wasn't around

for a few days.

Dan and my mum sat me down. She was
like, "Daddy's gone away for a while,

but he's gonna be fine,"

um... and you can't wrap your head
around why all of a sudden he's gone.

[reporter 1] If this
raid had been successful,

it would have been the biggest
diamond heist in the world.

I remember seeing it on
TV for the first time

and your heart dropping.

Four men tried to steal £200 million worth
of diamonds from the Millennium Dome.

[Damian] Despite all the best planning,
the g*ng was simply outsmarted by police,

who were always one step ahead,

ensuring this audacious attempt
was doomed from the beginning.

[Lee] Never wanted my kids
to know what I was up to.

And I've tried to hide it
as much as I could, yeah.

Made me feel a bit ashamed, you know,
for them to be put through that.

When I first got charged
for the Dome robbery,

I didn't think they was
going to come down hard,

'cause I was only at
the bottom of the chain.

You know, all I'd
done was the planning.

There was no g*ns used, and I
wasn't actually on the robbery.

But then Kent police charged
me with the Aylesford robbery.

[unsettling music playing]

[g*n c*ck]

It was a bit worrying, to be
honest, because there was g*ns used.

[engine revving]

[sirens blaring]

They said there was some DNA
in the back of the getaway van,

and the severity
of the robbery...

[siren blaring]

I was looking at 25 to 30
years for that robbery.

Looking at that kind of time,
it's obviously scary for anybody.

It's a long, long
time inside, isn't it?

[dramatic music playing]

[Lee] So, the Dome trial
was set for November.

[dramatic sting playing]

[Lee] But because me and my dad were
charged with both the Dome and Aylesford...

[gavel bangs]

...we couldn't be
tried with the others.

[intriguing string
music playing]

[man] A trial is a living thing. You
never know what's going to happen.

And this is probably one of the most
exceptional cases there's ever been.

Certainly one that
I've been involved in.

[sirens blaring]

[reporter 2] Arriving at
court, some defendants

accused of trying to pull off
the biggest robbery in the world,

possibly the millennium.

[Martin] There was
spectacular press interest.

Five men have been jailed in
England over what could have been

the world's biggest
diamond theft.

I thought, this is
an amazing case.

Basically, when I heard about it,
I thought it was a publicity stunt

by some film company, maybe
Guy Ritchie or somebody.

And it was an audacious attempt,

with a quite simple,
straightforward plan.

The criminals had planned
out every last detail.

But the police were
always one step ahead.

[Martin] They were
caught red-handed.

So it would be easy to think this
would be a piece of cake to prosecute.

But you never, ever think
any trial is cut-and-dry.

And, in this case,
it certainly wasn't.

[reporter 3] The g*ng have denied
conspiring to rob the finest

and rarest collection
of diamonds.

They pleaded not guilty
to conspiracy to rob.

And I thought, "Wow, that's going
to be interesting, isn't it?"

"What on earth are they going
to say by way of defense?"

What they said was,

"We weren't robbers at
all, we're thieves."

You may wonder, "What
difference does it make?"

And the answer is,
theft is very simply

taking something without
using violence...

[door chime dinging]

...and robbery is
using violence,

or the threat of violence,
in order to steal.

The potential sentence
for this kind of robbery

is between 15 and 25 years.

- [door clangs shut]
- [lock clicks]

Whilst the maximum sentence
for theft is seven years,

they were never going
to get the maximum.

So, let's start on the proposition
that they would get six years.

They pleaded guilty.

They would expect, therefore, to
get a third off that sentence,

which reduces six to four.

They'd expect only to serve
half, which reduces it to two.

They'd already spent a year
in custody awaiting trial.

So, in effect, if they were
sentenced for conspiracy to steal,

they were only going to have
to serve one year in custody.

Now, one begins to see the wisdom
behind their very clever plan

to admit to the jury
that they were thieves

and not robbers.

[John] We felt that the fact
that we'd caught them red-handed

satisfied all the ingredients to justify
the offense of robbery being charged

and convicted.

But, if the benefit
of the doubt is there,

then it will always be
awarded to the defendants.

[dramatic music playing]

[Martin] And so, in the end,
they might serve one year,

get out, and then could commit
other serious armed robberies.

So, I had to demonstrate that
they were not the likable thieves

that they claimed to be, but
they were ruthless robbers.

[water gurgling]

[Martin] But we had a problem

because they didn't actually have
any weapons during the Dome heist.

So, the jury might think this
was a really audacious offense

and nobody was hurt,

so let's be sympathetic
towards them.

Something that we thought could
be seen as a weapon was the JCB...

- [JCB motor rumbling]
- [metal crashing]

...because if there were
members of the public around,

they would have just been pushed
out of the way or run over.

Their explanation for that
was that it wasn't a weapon,

because they didn't expect
anybody to be there.

And that's because

they had an inside man.

[intriguing music playing]

[Martin] He was going to ensure
that there was nobody about,

so nobody could be hurt,

demonstrating the argument that
they were only thieves was true.

And the inside man was a
police officer who was corrupt.

[John] That was something that
took the wind of our sails

because now we've got a possible
area of police collusion in it.

On hearing that, we decided
to actually speak to him.

[Michael] I turned up for work

to meet my team.

I was told, "Go to the Chief
Superintendent's office."

"There's some people
want to see you."

I walked in there.

The Detective Chief Superintendent in
charge of the Flying Squad was there,

along with a senior
officer from Complaints.

And, uh...

his opening words were,

"Do you know why we've asked to see
you? Do you know why you're here?"

And I said, "I think I
can guess why I'm here."

[somber music playing]

[Martin] What was surprising was
that, of course, it was, first of all,

a police officer.

Secondly, that it was
Betson's brother-in-law.

I mean, you wouldn't
believe it, but it's true.

And so, he could blow a
hole in my case completely.

[Michael] I was called to give evidence
at the Old Bailey in central London.

I was concerned and
worried and anxious.

But there was a sense
of relief there as well,

that finally it's all
coming out into the open.

[dramatic opera music playing]

You could see the jury watching him
as he went into the witness box.

Is this man a corrupt police officer who
set this whole thing up, effectively?

[Michael] I was
thinking, "This is it."

I thought it would change my life forever,
getting in that box and doing this.

[contemplative music playing]

[Michael] I could see Ray and
the rest of the defendants.

The prosecution counsel
asked me questions.

I told them about the
relationship I had with Ray,

and then I told them about
the meeting in my house

where he proposed

I become the inside
man in his team,

and that he'd give me £250,000.

He left that house asking
me to, uh... think it over.

I didn't have to
think for a long time.

I knew what I was going to do.

I decided to tell my bosses
what Ray asked me to do.

[intense music playing]

So, I relayed
everything I could,

everything I knew about him.

Because, you know, that's
what you have to do.

Ray made a bad decision, thinking
that he could corrupt me.

He just assumed that
everybody was like him.

At the next family
gathering, he asked me,

uh, if I'd thought
any more about it,

and I said,

"I have, and I'm definitely
not gonna go along with it,

but I do appreciate
you trusting me

because I could have
gone to my bosses,"

and he said, "You wouldn't have done that,
because you value your family too much."

I took that as a
threat to k*ll me,

if I'd gone to the police,
which I already had.

[compelling string
music playing]

We were convinced and reassured

that he'd done the best he could
in a difficult domestic situation,

and we found at no time had Wearing
done anything that was improper.

[Michael] Ray was surprised that I was
giving evidence for the prosecution.

He saw me as soft.

Ray had threatened
me in such a way

that I think he thought he could
manipulate me and use me for his ends.

[Martin] PC Wearing
answered every question,

uh, with a considered answer.

He said that he was
not in any way corrupt,

bearing in mind the suggestion
made by the defense,

central to their case, is that
they had to have an inside man,

and he demonstrated very clearly

that he was not.

And so, for the defendants,

it all fell apart.

[bright opera music playing]

[Martin] All but Meredith were found
guilty of robbery, rather than theft,

and sentenced.

[dramatic sting playing]

[reporter 4] Five men who tried to
pull off the biggest robbery in history

were jailed today for
a total of 74 years.

[reporter 1] For the Dome robbers,
it wasn't supposed to end like this.

The judge told them they'd
played for high stakes,

and they knew what the penalty
would be if they failed.

[man] These were a
ruthless team of criminals.

They deserve no one's
credit whatsoever.

[Lee] I thought it
was pretty harsh.

They wanted to, you know, make
an example of them, I suppose.

It was a bit worrying because
they came down so hard on them.

What did that mean for me?

Waiting for the trial,

my dad was still in with me,
and he wasn't doing too good.

[melancholy music playing]

[Lee] In fact, he lost
seven stone in seven months,

and he was really suffering.

So my job was to
look after my dad.

They didn't have a very
good case on my dad.

So they sent a message
down with my QC

and said, "If you
plead guilty today,

we'll let your dad go."

No way he'd have got
through a long sentence.

I just wanted him to go home.

So, that's what I did.

I pled guilty on both things.

I got nine years for Aylesford

and four years for the
Dome, 13 years combined.

[Beth] I remember being
really just devastated.

Absolutely distraught, like,
well, this is my life now.

Um, and as a child, that
makes you feel really alone

because nobody else
is going through that.

None of my friends are.

But it was hard because you've gone
from having someone there every day,

to he's gone.

I was so angry at him.

I was just like, "Why would you leave
us? Why would you do that to us?"

Everyone has a choice.
Everyone has a choice in life,

but I didn't know anything else.

That's all I'd done from a kid, and
that was all I was taught from a kid.

I didn't know another
path. So I took that path.

[alarm ringing]

When I was in prison, it's
exactly like Groundhog Day.

[alarm ringing]

You come out. You go to work.

You come back. You make
your phone call to home.

It is Groundhog Day.

[inmates clamoring in distance]

[Lee] There's no TVs, and
you're banged up all the time.

But you were allowed
to have a book.

I can read a little bit. I'm
not very good, but I can read.

I got 13 years, but I never got in
trouble the whole time I was in prison.

I served, altogether,
four and a half years.

[birds chirping]

[Beth] Do you think prison
changed you as a person?

[Lee] It did change me.

It makes you think a bit more
before you do things, you know?

[heartwarming music playing]

- I was very young when all this happened.
- Yeah.

I was only 30, 32. And I, um...

You don't think anything through.
All you think about is the money.

- The high life. Do you know what I mean?
- Yeah.

Obviously, it'd be a lot different
now because I'm a good boy now.

Yeah. [laughing]

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

[Lee] Looking back on the
Dome robbery now, I...

I'm not gonna sit here and lie. I didn't
regret having a go of trying to do it.

[Beth laughing]

[Lee] I regretted leaving my
kids, obviously. Who wouldn't?

- All right, don't tell everyone.
- [Beth laughing]

[Lee] But, you know,
it was a good plan.

Um, there was very good
people around doing it.

The only thing I would change is
that we got the diamond, yeah.

[ethereal music playing]

[John] Following the
aftermath of the Dome,

we were presented with
a commendation for work.

[bright classical music playing]

Always good to be appreciated.
Pleased to have the recognition.

This was a very audacious
attempt at a robbery,

but it was foiled by an even
more audacious police response.

This was a much-needed
victory for the Flying Squad.

This gave them the great success that
they needed and that they craved.

It goes into the Flying
Squad annals of history,

and it's part of
Flying Squad lore.

It was a classic tale
of cat and mouse,

which is why we still talk about
it as Britain's greatest robbery.

[Neil] So the good guys won.

But I've got to say,

I thought this was a
pretty amazing operation

by the bad guys.

You can't help but be
impressed by their planning...

It's audacious in the extreme.

...by their ba*ls...

I couldn't help smiling. You know,
what they tried to get away with.

...by their willingness
to take risks.

You know, it was just too
flamboyant. It was too... too bold.

I remember paying
something like £56,000,

uh, for this impregnable glass.

Literally seconds, they'd
made a great big hole.

I mean, God, was it a shock.

This group weren't idiots. They'd
done a lot of thinking about it.

If the police hadn't have known,

if the police hadn't
have been there,

they'd have got it.

They came that close.

[Lee] I went back to the
Dome with my partner.

I found myself checking the gates
out and stuff like that. [chuckles]

I thought there'd be
a plaque or something.

"This is where they tried to
nick the Millennium Diamond."

But there was
nothing in there, no.

[music ends]

[Tim] Criminals are criminals,
as far as I'm concerned.

I just thought that this bunch, actually,
probably deserved to have success.

[dramatic music playing]

[Tim] However,

had the thieves actually managed to steal
the diamonds that were on display there...

they would have got
an almighty shock.

[Nir] I receive a phone call...

[lilting classical
music playing]

...from a gentleman, a director

of De Beers, telling me that
there's going to be a heist in place

that's going to come
down in the near future.

The decision with
the authorities

was to make

the fake.

[Tim] And they were
extremely good.

You'd be very hard-pressed to
tell that they were replicas.

So, in September, two
months before the raid,

I made a decision,
just to be safe,

to swap the real diamonds

with fakes.

[music crescendos, fades]

Motherfu...

[upbeat, engaging music playing]

[music fades]