The Hatton Garden Metals raiders were dubbed “Dad’s Army” on account of their advanced age and many had extensive criminal records going back decades. Brian Reader (known by the gang as “The Master”) Reader, a career criminal known as “The Master” and “The Governor” by his fellow gang members, had stood trial in the 1980s accused of murdering a police officer. He was chosen to mastermind the Hatton Garden raid due to his involvement in the notorious Brinks Mat robbery of 1983. During that raid, gold bullion and diamonds worth £26m (about £78m in today’s values) were taken ...Read more
