Gold Heist Gang Jailed

Six members of a gang that ran a million pound gold and silver bullion heist in Belgium were jailed for more than 23 years today on Friday 8 December 2012.

The Old Bailey heard how the meticulously planned 'inside job' first came to light when Brian Mulcahy, 46, an international lorry driver from Essex, was found locked in his firm's bullion security van, claiming to have been the victim of a vicious armed robbery in Wetteren, Belgium.

What followed was a lengthy investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Special Projects Team who worked closely with Europol and the Belgian police in Antwerp to unravel the intricate plot which involved a team of seven criminals.

David Chatwood, 58, of Sawyers Grove, Brentwood, Essex, was sentenced to four years imprisonment for conspiracy to steal.

John Corley, 53, of Stock Hill, Biggin Hill, Kent, was sentenced to six years imprisonment for conspiracy to steal

Brian Mulcahy, 46, of Grosvenor Road, Westcliffe-on-Sea, Essex, was sentenced to three years and six months for conspiracy to steal

Gary Steven Cummings, 51, of Anne Way, Ilford, Essex, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for conspiracy to steal

Stanley Rose, 75, of Iver Road, Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, Essex, was sentenced to four years imprisonment for conspiracy to steal

David Gale, of Parkfields, Roydon, Essex, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for conspiracy to steal

Matthew Middleton, 42, of Loughton Way, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, is due to be sentenced at a later date for conspiracy to steal

Chatwood and Corley were the organisers believed to be responsible for putting the team together and planning the heist. With their criminal contacts they were able to pull together a team of criminals who were well placed to carry out their individual roles. Corley was present at the scene of the 'robbery'.

Mulcahy was the inside man, the driver of the lorry which had the bullion on board. His lorry route took him to Belgium on a regular basis, providing him with ample opportunity to locate the best place to carry out the theft.

Corley, Cummings and Middleton were the 'robbers'; they carried out the fake hijacking and robbery of the bullion in Belgium, after travelling abroad on a coach from London Victoria, taking their golf clubs as cover. An integral part of the team, Rose was in charge of logistics. He booked hotel rooms and looked after the gold and silver once stolen.

Gale was a senior member of the gang with Corley and Chatwood. He liaised with Rose and his job was to arrange and oversee the viewing and testing of the bullion.

On 4 October 2011 Belgian police discovered Mulcahy locked up in the back of his lorry in Wetteren, Belgium. He claimed he had been the victim of an armed robbery; that his lorry had been hijacked and unknown suspects had stolen part of his cargo. The stolen cargo was 25 kilos of gold bullion and 150 kilos of silver with an estimated value of £1 million. Rose booked two hotel rooms and stored the stolen gold and silver bullion in the rooms while he waited for Gale to make contact to arrange for the gold to be viewed and tested.

On 13 October Belgian police in a co-ordinated joint operation with the MPS Special Projects Team swooped on Rose in Antwerp where a search of the two rooms he had rented resulted in the recovery of nearly all of the gold and silver bullion. As part of that same operation Gale was also arrested by Belgian police whilst heading towards the coast.

Both were later extradited to the UK by Belgian authorities. Meanwhile officers from the MPS Special Projects Team simultaneously arrested the remaining gang members including Mulcahy who was arrested in the UK having returned from Belgium.

Detective Superintendent Steve Ratcliffe from the MPS Special Projects Team said: "This was a very well planned and sophisticated criminal venture which was foiled by the tenacity and hard work of the officers under my command and the excellent working relationship they had with Europol which made the fast time arrest of suspects in Belgium possible. The Belgian police did a fantastic job of ensuring key players were held and arrested at exactly the right time ensuring that all of the evidence was gathered and all the pieces of the jigsaw came together."

Three individuals also charged in connection with the investigation were later acquitted at court they were Kyriacos Nicholas, Andreas Nicholas, and Sheron Mancini.

(GK)