Hatton Garden Ringleader Jailed For Six Years

Hatton Garden ringleader Brian Reader, 77, has been jailed for six years and three months for his part in the £14m raid.

The 77-year-old - the oldest member of the gang - suffered a stroke in Belmarsh Prison following what was the biggest burglary in English history.

Appearing via video link at Woolwich Crown Court, Reader, who the court was told now uses a walking frame, was sentenced by Judge Christopher Kinch QC.

Reader, of Dartford Road, Dartford, Kent, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary last September.

In sentencing, Judge Kinch said he took into account the fact that Reader is "seriously unwell" and needs daily assistance with routine tasks.

He said Reader has a range of medical problems which are "potentially very serious indeed".

But he added: "I'm satisfied that you were rightly described as one of the ringleaders and involved in regular meetings."

The judge pointed out that while Reader was not present on the second night of the heist, he was there the first night and during "at least one dry run".

Referring to the fact Reader was not present on the second night, the judge said it appears he had "had enough" on the first night and went home.

He suggested Reader maybe decided that "the enterprise wasn't actually going to succeed".

The judge said there was "a degree of irony" in the way Reader was known as "the master".

Appearing on screens in the court, the pensioner looked frail, and was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and glasses.

His lawyer Hesham Puri told the judge he earned nothing from the heist, after pulling out after the first night.

Mr Puri said: "He did not receive any benefit. He withdrew from the plot and was excluded.

"The others made disparaging remarks about him later."

He said jewellery found hidden in a drain in the garden of his home was his own - there were photographs of his late wife wearing it.

His previous convictions go back more than 60 years, including a burglary conviction in 1950.

The Hatton Garden gang had a combined age of almost 450.

They carried out the "sophisticated" and meticulously planned break-in over the Easter weekend last year.

They ransacked 73 boxes at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit after using a drill to bore a hole into the vault wall.

Valuables worth up to £14 million, including gold, diamonds and sapphires, were taken.

Two-thirds of them remain unrecovered.

Another thief, known only as Basil, remains at large.

He was instrumental in helping the gang get into the vault in the heart of London's diamond district.

The other men convicted in connection with the burglary were sentenced at Woolwich earlier this month.