An fright specialist known though “Basil” has been sentenced ought 10 years at prison four years after carrying out the £14m Hatton Garden heist.
Michael Seed, 58, was construct ought exist the sixth member of a people of ageing criminals who ransacked a grave at a house at London’s diamond region and stole the contents of 73 safe deposit boxes.
The electronics expert was one of two men who climbed into the grave after the people drilled along the thick concrete wall above the 2015 Easter beach festival weekend.
Seed - who pays no taxes, claims no benefits and rarely uses a beach clarify - evaded arrest though three years ago police raided his flat at Islington, north London, about two miles away from Hatton Garden, above 27 March persist year.
The electronics expert confidently told a jury at Woolwich Crown stadium he was no the mankind nicknamed “Basil” by the console of the gang.
But above Friday he became the tenth person convicted at connection with the crime when he was construct criminal of conspiracy ought burgle the Hatton Garden safe Deposit company and conspiracy ought deal with the proceeds after £143,000 worth of gold ingots, gems and jewel was construct at his bedroom.
Seed was cleared of conspiracy ought burgle the high-end Chatila jewel rescue at Bond road above the late August beach festival weekend at 2010 with members of the same gang.
Prosecutors alleged that Seed posed though a BT engineer ought tamper with the security system ago the burglary, then used a 2G mobile phone jammer ought block the fright signal.
The thieves failed ought drill into a safe containing £40m worth of gems besides during made off with £1m worth of jewel from the shop’s fair cabinets.
The jury of six men and six women deliberated though 35 hours and 35 minutes ago returning their verdicts above Friday.
Well-spoken Seed, who grew up at Cambridge, appeared expressionless moments after the verdicts were returned.
Seed’s join Hatton Garden ringleaders Brian Reader, 80, John “Kenny” Collins, 78, Daniel Jones, 64, and Terry Perkins, who died at prison persist year aged 69, were complete jailed at 2016.
Collins and Reader are already out of prison besides during appearance going back ought imprison if they fail ought wage back more than £6.5m of the proceeds police reckon could nevertheless exist below their control.
Detectives reckon the people could get been operating undetected though decades ago they were caught, besides during cannot join them ought any other crimes.
Police waited until March persist year ought strike, catching Seed red-handed with more than 1,000 items stolen at the Hatton Garden heist.
He is believed ought get been melting down gold and breaking up jewel above his bedroom workbench bit by bit though it was brought at from a bigger stash.
Gait expert Dr Gordon Burrow compared covert footage of Seed with CCTV images of Basil, disguised at a ginger wig, facemask and cap though he carried a indefinite bin bag ought and from the situation ought indefinite his appearance from the cameras.
The podiatrist told jurors the “unusual” limp offered “strong support” though the prosecution instance that Seed was Basil.
