Four Men Admit Hatton Garden Heist Charge

Four men have admitted their role in plotting the Hatton Garden heist, which saw valuables worth more than £10m stolen from a safe deposit centre.

John Collins, 74, from Islington, north London, Daniel Jones, 58, from Enfield, north London, Terry Perkins, 67, from Enfield, north London and Brian Reader, 76, from Dartford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle between January 1 and April 7.

They appeared at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London, supported by friends and family in the public gallery.

The men will be sentenced at a date still to be confirmed.

All four also faced a charge of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property, namely a quantity of jewellery and other items between April 1 and May 19, but in light of their guilty pleas in relation to the conspiracy to burgle, Philip Evans, prosecuting, said the Crown would not be pursuing the charge.

Hugh Doyle, 48, from north London, William Lincoln, 60, from Bethnal Green, east London and taxi driver John Harbinson, 42, from Benfleet, Essex, denied conspiracy.

They also pleaded not guilty to a laundering offence and are due to stand trial on November 16 this year.

Paul Reader, 50, of Dartford Road, Dartford, and Carl Wood, 58, of Elderbeck Close, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, are yet to enter pleas.

All nine men appeared in custody and were accompanied in the dock by 13 security guards.

The raid over the Easter weekend saw a gang break into the vault in London's diamond district after using a drill to bore a huge hole in the wall.

The Metropolitan Police faced criticism for its handling of the case and apologised for not following procedures when a security firm called about an intruder alert at the premises on Good Friday.