THE Hatton Garden robbers went down in British history after they attempted to pull off one of the biggest heists in the country.
Among the thieves was ringleader Brian Reader who died aged 84. Here’s what we know about him.
Brian Henry Reader was a British gangster and has been described as “one of the busiest crooks in the British underworld.”
Born on February 28, 1939, in Lewisham, London, his father is said to have fought in World War II.
Henry Reader then deserted the family in 1955 as his son turned to a life of crime.
He would later tell how his first experience in crime was thieving-to-order from the South London docks.
His first appearance in court was in 1950 when he robbed five shops in East London at age 11.
Reader received a criminal discharge for allegedly “stealing tins of fruit by means of store breaking”.
As a child he had a variety of local jobs such as butcher’s boy, and started working for British Rail after leaving school at 16.
But by 1958, he appeared at the Old Bailey, considered one of the top courts in England and Wales.
Investigators Tom Pettifor and Nick Sommerlad said it showed a “mark[ed] a serious escalation in his offending” in their book One Last Job.
He was given a relatively lenient sentence for his crimes of inflicting serious bodily harm with intent.
Possibly due to the escalation of his crimes, his mother arranged for him to serve his National Service.
He was assigned to the Royal Engineers and stationed in West London, enabling him to go home every evening.
He was discharged the next year with a character assessment of “good”.
By the 1960s, Reader was collaborating with what journalist Paul Lashmar describes as “a flexible group of Britain’s top robbers and burglars”, responsible for stealing millions.
His crew included individuals like safe-cracker Tony Hollands, alarm expert John Woodley and John Goodwin, who specialised in gathering intelligence.
The gang also featured a lock picker and a journalist.
Reader also made a name for himself as both a fence and a burglar.
He specialised in moving stolen goods through less scrupulous traders in Hatton Garden.
Reader was described as “near the top of a huge underground black market network of small businessmen and women, operating on the fringes of criminality.”
In May 1971, during a bank robbery planning in Reading, Reader suffered minor brain damage after falling from a window.
As a result, he had to relearn walking.
He was later fined £35 for burglary with intent.
But it didn’t stop there.
Just weeks after leaving the hospital in September 1971, Reader participated in a major robbery at Lloyds Bank’s Baker Street branch, possibly leading the gang.
They tunnelled into the vault, stealing over £8million and setting a blueprint for the Hatton Garden heist decades later.
By the mid-1980s, fenced gold with partner Kenneth Noye, earning £200,000 each.
In the next year, a trial over £1.3million in robberies collapsed due to jury tampering allegations.
In November 1983, the Brink’s-Mat heist at Heathrow stole about £26million in gold, diamonds, and cash, marking one of the largest robberies in British history.
Reader was convicted for handling stolen goods and money laundering, resulting in nine years’ imprisonment.
They had not taken part in the robbery itself however.
The Hatton Garden heist was one of the most audacious raids in recent criminal history.
Having retired from his criminal career, he moved to Dartford and opened a second-hand car dealership with his son.
Despite retirement, he maintained contact with former associates, including Perkins, discussing the Hatton Garden heist for about a year before executing it.
At 76, Reader was the oldest member of the group.
Michael Seed, 63, is thought to have been the ringleader of the gang and simply known as ‘Basil’ by the others.
The diamond wheezers also included John Collins, Daniel Jones, Terry Perkins, Carl Wood, William Lincoln and Hugh Doyle.
He scouted Hatton Garden several times but withdrew from the actual heist due to disputes with other gang members.
Following the heist, Reader was arrested in May 2015 and found with incriminating evidence at home.
“For her part, Lyn played the role of the master criminal’s wife to perfection – always loyal and discreet.”
Tom Pettifor and Nick Sommerlad
He pleaded guilty in 2016, receiving a sentence of six years and three months.
Health complications marred his imprisonment, and he was released in March 2019.
Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, he and his associates were ordered to pay back £27.5million.
According to official sources, the total stolen had an estimated value of up to £14million (equivalent to £19million in 2024), of which only £4.3million has been recovered.
Reader reportedly masterminded the Lloyds Baker Street heist 45 years ago.
Lashar states that Reader was “key to both” robberies.
Reader met his wife, Lyn Kidd, in 1963.
Initially impressed by his appearance and wealth, she later realised his earnings weren’t from a legitimate car dealership.
They stayed married until her death in 2009, with Lyn loyally supporting him.
According to Pettifor and Sommerlad: “For her part, Lyn played the role of the master criminal’s wife to perfection – always loyal and discreet.
“Reader told her only what she needed to know and nothing more.”
Their son, Paul, was born in 1964.
A daughter, Joanne, arrived a year after that.
Reader was described to be a doting father and gave his children all the things his own father had failed to provide for him.
A retired detective who would later arrest Reader said: “He never did a day’s legitimate work in his life so he had lots of time with his kids and wife.
“He was a family man. He loved his holidays and would take the kids to the French Alps, the whole family were good skiers.
“They would also spend a lot of time in Spain. He gave his children all they needed in life.”
Reader succumbed to cancer of the colon and prostate cancer at the age of 84.
His relatives and associates reportedly tried to keep his death secret.
But a death certificate, which lists his profession as a retired gardener reveals he passed away in September 2023 at his home in Dartford.
Despite a battle with prostate cancer and a promise to his wife, Reader could not resist the pull of one last job when he was recruited into the Hatton Garden raid.
