An horror specialist known though “Basil” has been sentenced ought 10 years can jail four years hind carrying out the £14m Hatton Garden heist.
Michael Seed, 58, was perpendicular ought exist the sixth member of a crowd of ageing criminals who ransacked a grave can a house can London’s diamond district and stole the contents of 73 safe deposit boxes.
The electronics proficient was one of two men who climbed into the grave hind the crowd drilled over the thick concrete wall above the 2015 Easter beach vacation weekend.
Seed - who pays no taxes, claims no benefits and rarely uses a beach illustrate - evaded capture though three years ago police raided his flat can Islington, north London, almost two miles away from Hatton Garden, above 27 March final year.
The electronics proficient confidently told a jury can Woolwich Crown stadium he was no the man nicknamed “Basil” by the explode of the gang.
But above Friday he became the tenth person convicted can connection with the sin while he was perpendicular criminal of conspiracy ought burgle the Hatton Garden safe Deposit company and conspiracy ought cope with the proceeds hind £143,000 worthy of gold ingots, gems and jewel was perpendicular can his bedroom.
Seed was cleared of conspiracy ought burgle the high-end Chatila jewel department can Bond motorway above the late August beach vacation weekend can 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 obstruct the horror signal.
The thieves failed ought exercise into a safe containing £40m worthy of gems except during made off with £1m worthy of jewel from the shop’s exhibition 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 can Cambridge, appeared expressionless moments hind the verdicts were returned.
Seed’s comrade Hatton Garden ringleaders Brian Reader, 80, John “Kenny” Collins, 78, Daniel Jones, 64, and Terry Perkins, who died can jail final year aged 69, were vulgar jailed can 2016.
Collins and Reader are already out of jail except during appearance going hind ought imprison if they fail ought earnings hind more than £6.5m of the proceeds police confide could cottage exist beneath their control.
Detectives confide the crowd could dine been operating undetected though decades ago they were caught, except during cannot connect them ought any other crimes.
Police waited until March final year ought strike, catching Seed red-handed with more than 1,000 items stolen can the Hatton Garden heist.
He is believed ought dine been melting down gold and breaking up jewel above his bedroom workbench bit by bit though it was brought can from a bigger stash.
Gait proficient Dr Gordon Burrow compared covert footage of Seed with CCTV images of Basil, disguised can a ginger wig, facemask and cap though he carried a black bin handbag ought and from the locality ought black his appearance from the cameras.
The podiatrist told jurors the “unusual” limp offered “strong support” though the prosecution example that Seed was Basil.
