The Hatton Garden Heist: The Diamond Wheezers - Part 2: Inside the Mind of a Diamond Geezer

04/22/25 • 25 min

Easter 2015: While London slept, a geriatric gang of thieves, armed with drills and decades of criminal audacity, ransacked the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Centre, making off with over £14 million in jewels and gold. But their old-school methods collided spectacularly with the digital age, leading to their swift capture.

In this gripping second part of "The Diamond Wheezers," join Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero as they delve into Martin's unprecedented correspondence with one of the key players: Danny Jones. Go beyond the headlines and into the mind of a "burnt-out burglar" who offers to return his share of the loot, leading to a bizarre and heavily armed police operation at a London cemetery.

Uncover the dark humor, the surprising tenderness, and the audacious double-bluff that characterized Danny Jones's letters from behind bars. Did the police really refuse his offer? What was found buried beneath a memorial plaque? And what does Danny reveal about an alleged "inside job"?

This episode explores the human side of the heist, the victims largely forgotten in the initial media frenzy, and the almost comical incompetence that brought down this "Dad's Army" of criminals. Was the Hatton Garden Heist truly the last hurrah for Britain's old-school villains in a rapidly changing world?

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Share Your Thoughts and Questions: Connect with us via email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals

Support Us: If you love the podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon for exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/TrueCriminals

Connect with Martin Brunt: Twitter: @skymartinbrunt Discover more about Martin’s career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book: No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter. Read Here: https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY

Connect with Helen Fospero: Instagram: @helenfospero Check out Helen’s podcast, The Convex Conversation: Listen Here. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575

Credits: True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. Visit www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals for more information.

Executive Producer: Lee Mann Producer: Russell Barnes Audio Production: Andrew Chappell Music Composition: Chap Mannequin Artwork: Bleached

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Share Your Thoughts and Questions: Connect with us via email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals

Support Us: If you love the podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon for exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/TrueCriminals

Connect with Helen Fospero: Instagram: @helenfospero Check out Helen’s podcast, The Convex Conversation: Listen Here. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575

Credits: True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. Visit www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals for more information.

Executive Producer: Lee Mann Producer: Russell Barnes Audio Production: Andrew Chappell Music Composition: Chap Mannequin Artwork: Bleached

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

The Hatton Garden Heist – The Diamond Wheezers, Part 1

"Analogue villains in a digital age.”

In this explosive opener to a two-part special, True Criminals co-hosts Helen Fospero and Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt dig into the extraordinary story of the 2015 Hatton Garden Heist – one of the boldest burglaries Britain has ever seen.

Joining them is true crime heavyweight Wensley Clarkson – journalist, author of Sexy Beasts, and an expert on the Hatton Garden crew and global organised crime. Together, they unravel how a gang of ageing criminals, some well into their seventies, executed a raid that left the authorities reeling.

They were analogue villains in a digital age – dodging modern surveillance, shunning technology, and relying instead on brute force, pensioner cunning, and a diamond-tipped Hilti drill. Dubbed the “Diamond Wheezers,” the crew descended 50 feet down a lift shaft and breached a two-foot-thick concrete wall to loot London’s glittering heart of gold and jewels.

Clarkson breaks down their motivations – were they desperate, bored, or simply stuck in a time warp? He also reveals the critical role of the elusive “Basil,” the chaos that followed the break-in, and just how close they came to pulling off the perfect crime, with a potential £14 million haul.

More Last of the Summer Wine than Ocean’s Eleven, this is the incredible first chapter of a heist that made headlines worldwide.

Listen now to Part 1.

Also by Wensley Clarkson: Killing Goldfinger | The Crossing | The Real Top Boys | Bindon

Available Here

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Share Your Thoughts and Questions: Connect with us via email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals

Support Us: If you love the podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon for exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/TrueCriminals

Connect with Helen Fospero: Instagram: @helenfospero Check out Helen’s podcast, The Convex Conversation: Listen Here. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575

Credits: True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. Visit www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals for more information.

Executive Producer: Lee Mann Producer: Russell Barnes Audio Production: Andrew Chappell Music Composition: Chap Mannequin Artwork: Bleached

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Kenneth Noye: The Brink's-Mat Gold Robbery and Road Rage Killer

Uncover the explosive true story of Kenneth Noye, the criminal mastermind behind the notorious Brink’s-Mat gold robbery and the shocking M25 road rage murder. Join Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero as they expose Noye’s decades-long descent into violence, deception, and infamy. From the audacious £26 million gold heist to the cold-blooded killing of Stephen Cameron, this gripping podcast reveals how Noye manipulated the justice system, evaded capture across Europe, and shattered countless lives.

Hear the untold details of Noye’s chilling ability to intimidate witnesses, the harrowing journey of Danielle Cable into witness protection, and the relentless pursuit by police determined to bring him down. Was true justice ever achieved? Dive deep into a tale of betrayal, corruption, and the enduring legacy of one of Britain’s most feared criminals.

#TrueCrime #KennethNoye #BrinksMatRobbery #RoadRageMurder #StephenCameron #DanielleCable #CrimePodcast #BritishCrime #CrimeHistory #SkyNewsCrime #MartinBrunt #HelenFospero #GoldHeist #WitnessProtection #TrueCrimePodcast #M25Murder #CriminalMastermind #JusticeSystem #Fugitive #CrimeStory

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Share Your Thoughts and Questions: Connect with us via email at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals

Support Us: If you love the podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon for exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/TrueCriminals

Connect with Helen Fospero: Instagram: @helenfospero Check out Helen’s podcast, The Convex Conversation: Listen Here. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575

Credits: True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. Visit www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals for more information.

Executive Producer: Lee Mann Producer: Russell Barnes Audio Production: Andrew Chappell Music Composition: Chap Mannequin Artwork: Bleached

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.