Millennium Dome Raid - Trial

Trial

The case came to trial a year later on 8 November 2001, the case was heard at the Old Bailey and only six members of the gang were present as Terry Millman had died of cancer. The court heard that Betson, Cockram, Aldo Ciarrocchi and Robert Adams were caught by officers who were undercover in the dome when they burst into the dome using a JCB digger. On the first day of the defence case, William Cockram explained about the lack of security inside the dome. "I couldn't believe how simple it was", he also added I was thinking, this cannot be true, It was a gift. At first I had thought it was pie in the sky, but after going down there I couldn't believe security was so bad... There was nobody in the vault, no security workers walking around.". He stated that had the plan succeeded "It would have taken a very short time from hitting the main gate to getting back across the Thames - five minutes maximum.". In his defense Cockram also added "No one was going to get hurt - there was no one to hurt,", "The dome was always empty.". Cockram explained that the nail gun that was bought by the gang was to be used to break the glass in the vault and not as a weapon. The ammonia he said was to be used to contaminate any traces of blood left by him. He explained that the body armor that he wore was to be used after the raid for protection when he was scheduled to attend a meeting with associates to discuss the sale of the gems. Raymond Betson at trial told the jury that his brother in law Pc Michael Waring who was working at the Dome as part of the perimeter security had told him about a school friend named Tony who was also working at the dome. Mr Betson claimed that Michael Waring had told him about a plan that Tony had put together," Tony had got this plan together. He had a backer - someone to buy the jewellery. He said the security was crap". Mr Betson then went on to say, "I had every confidence in him - there was no way I thought he would betray me - not for two seconds". "If this had come to me from someone else - in a pub - I would not have gone along with it but it was the background to where it had come from. It was solid". Mr Betson explained how he developed a trusting relationship with Waring, he said "I did not think he would try and do me any harm. I trusted him." At the trial the jury were also told by William Cockram that Mr Betson had told him, that his brother in law was in on the plan. William Cockram went on to say "He said he had inside help through Pc Michael Waring". When called as a prosecution witness Pc Micheal Waring "totally denied" he was part of the plan or had offered to act in a criminal way by providing information on security. At the trial the jury were told that the gang had invested tens of thousands planning the raid and they stored the equipment they needed at a disused commercial yard in Plumstead, South-East London, as well as two remote Kent farms near Maidstone. Terry Millman who had died of cancer before the trial date used the name T. Diamond when he paid £3,700 in cash to purchase a getaway speed-boat at a yard in the seaside town of Whitstable, Kent.

At the trial prosecuting QC Martin Heslop said "the raid was planned professionally, carefully and down to the last detail" he also added "So well organised was it that it would probably have succeeded, had it not been for an equally professional, careful and detailed police operation". QC Martin Heslop stated that in order to minimize the risk to the public "Arrangements were made to keep children away from the danger area, but for obvious reasons it was not practicable to alert all staff to the possibility of an attack". The time taken for the case to be heard was three months, the jury which consisted of seven women and five men reached a 10-2 majority verdict against the defendants after deliberating for nearly seven court days. After a week of deliberations the judge Michael Coombe accepted the majority verdict and this resulted in the men being found guilty. The judge told the defendants "You played for very high stakes and you must have known perfectly well what the penalty would be if your enterprise did not succeed". The judge added "This was a wicked, professional plan and one which was carried out with the minutest attention to detail. Mercifully the police were on to it."

Raymond Betson and William Cockram who were considered the two leaders of the gang were each given 18-year sentences. Betson at trial blamed his brother in law Michael Waring who was a serving police constable at the time. Betson claimed Waring supplied him with inside information and was also involved. Micheal Waring denied the allegation and was exonerated by the judge. Aldo Ciarrocchi and Robert Adams were sentenced to 15 years. Kevin Meredith was cleared of conspiracy to rob but found guilty of conspiring to steal and was sentenced to five years.

After sentencing, Mr Shatford, who was now in charge of the Serious Crime Group in North-East London stated 'I'm delighted with the verdict and sentence. "They were a ruthless team of criminals. Had it not been for the police they would have committed the largest robbery ever to take place anywhere in the world". He added: "I believe Betson was the mastermind. He is a dangerous man and was known to the Flying Squad. I believe he was responsible for a large number of armed robberies in the past.". When asked about what would have happened to the diamonds if the raid was successful, he stated Mr Shatford speculated that the Russian mafia would have been involved in their disposal after paying the robbers several million pounds.