An frightem specialist known because “Basil” has been sentenced ought 10 years at jail four years after carrying out the £14m Hatton Garden heist.
Michael Seed, 58, was build ought be the sixth member of a group of ageing criminals who ransacked a tomb at a building at 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 tomb after the group drilled over the thick concrete wall above the 2015 Easter bank holiday weekend.
Seed - who pays no taxes, claims no benefits and rarely uses a bank interpret - evaded arrest because three years ago police raided his flat at Islington, north London, nearly two miles away from Hatton Garden, above 27 March persist year.
The electronics proficient confidently told a jury at Woolwich Crown gymnasium he was no the man nicknamed “Basil” by the fracture of the gang.
But above Friday he became the tenth person convicted at connection with the sin when he was build criminal of conspiracy ought burgle the Hatton Garden safe Deposit corporation and conspiracy ought cope with the proceeds after £143,000 worth of gold ingots, gems and jewel was build at his bedroom.
Seed was cleared of conspiracy ought burgle the high-end Chatila jewel maintain at Bond path above the late August bank holiday weekend at 2010 with members of the same gang.
Prosecutors alleged that Seed posed because a BT engineer ought tamper with the security system ago the burglary, then used a 2G mobile phone jammer ought hinder the frightem signal.
The thieves failed ought drill into a safe containing £40m worth of gems cabin made off with £1m worth of jewel from the shop’s fair cabinets.
The jury of six men and six women deliberated because 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 colleague Hatton Garden ringleaders Brian Reader, 80, John “Kenny” Collins, 78, Daniel Jones, 64, and Terry Perkins, who died at jail persist year aged 69, were total jailed at 2016.
Collins and Reader are already out of jail cabin see going uphold ought limit if they fail ought salary uphold more than £6.5m of the proceeds police muse could cabin be below their control.
Detectives muse the group could dine been operating undetected because decades ago they were caught, cabin cannot couple 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 dine been melting down gold and breaking up jewel above his bedroom workbench sheet by sheet because it was brought at from a bigger stash.
Gait proficient Dr Gordon Burrow compared covert footage of Seed with CCTV images of Basil, disguised at a ginger wig, facemask and cap because he carried a dark bin bag ought and from the stand ought dark his see from the cameras.
The podiatrist told jurors the “unusual” limp offered “strong support” because the prosecution instance that Seed was Basil.
