Eight men charged in Hatton Garden jewellery heist

Photo Credit: Daily Record
Photo Credit: Daily Record

Eight men have been charged with plotting and executing the Hatton Garden jewellery heist, Scotland Yard has said.

Detectives from the Met’s Flying Squad charged the men, aged between 48 and 76, with conspiracy to burgle on Wednesday evening reported BBC.

They have been remanded in custody to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

A ninth man who was also arrested has been released on bail pending further enquiries, police said.

The contents of 56 safe deposit boxes were taken during the raid in London’s jewellery district over Easter weekend.

It comes after nine suspects were detained following police raids on 12 properties in the London and Kent areas.

Officers said bags containing a significant amount of high-value property had been recovered at one of the addresses searched.

It is believed jewellery worth up to £200m was taken during the Easter raid.

Thieves used heavy cutting equipment to break into a vault at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd, where they ransacked about 70 boxes.

The Flying Squad has apologised after it emerged a security firm’s call about an intruder alert at the premises shortly after midnight on Good Friday was deemed not to require a response.

Police confirmed alarm response procedures had not been followed at the time of the raid, but the Met rejected suggestions they were bungling “Keystone Kops”.

An appeal has also been launched for information about a white Ford Transit van, registration DU53 VNG, captured on CCTV in Hatton Garden on 2 April.