http://www.sundayworld.com/news/irishman-in-court-charged-over-200m-hatton-heist-in-london

Irishman in court charged over €200m Hatton Heist in London
Thursday 21st May 2015.

An Irishman is among eight people who will appear in court today charged in connection with the Hatton Garden jewellery heist in London last month.

Hugh Doyle (48), who is originally from Dublin, was arrested in connection with the audacious heist at the beginning of April.

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Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad have also charged Terry Perkins, 67, Daniel Jones, 58, both of Enfield, and William Lincoln, 59, of Bethnal Green, east London, and John Collins, 74, of Islington, north London.

Brian Reader, 76, and Paul Reader, 50, both of Dartford Road, Dartford, and Carl Wood, 58, of Elderbeck Close, Cheshunt, also face the same charge.

All eight have been remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court today. A ninth man has been bailed pending further inquiries.

Doyle, 48, of Riverside Gardens, Enfield, was described by neighbours yesterday as "always willing to lend a hand."



An elderly neighbour, who didn't wish to be named, told MailOnline she had never seen 'anything of this sort' in her 46 years of living in his street.

"They [the police] were there when I came to open the gate to the dustman at 8.30 this morning," the neighbour said.

"Everyone knows him. The local pub knows him very well. He was not a bad man, he was a helpful person always willing to lend a hand. I am just very surprised. We are shocked.

"The neighbour, who lives just a few doors down, said: 'It's terrible when I see that people are such nice people, and then you come across these sorts of things. He has two lovely kids."

Doyle, a married father-of-two, is understood to run a heating and plumbing business, Associated Response and a high powered motorcycle, bearing the firm’s livery was parked outside the house, where police continued to carry out searches earlier this week.

A Facebook page linked to the firm shows Mr Doyle in happier times piloting a variety of small aircraft and also crewing a yacht with friends.



Earlier, the Met apologised after facing criticism over is handling of the break-in at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company in London's jewellery quarter.

It emerged that a call from a security firm about an intruder alert at the company shortly after midnight on Good Friday was deemed not to require a response.
Officers believe they entered the building, which houses a number of businesses, through a communal entrance before disabling the lift so they could climb down the lift shaft to the basement.

It is thought that they then forced open shutter doors and used a drill to bore a hole 20in deep, 10in high and 18in into the vault wall.

Once inside, the thieves ransacked 72 safety deposit boxes, taking millions of pounds worth of goods.

Detectives from the Flying Squad apologised after confirming that alarm response procedures had not been followed, but rejected the suggestion that they were bungling "Keystone Cops".

Commander Peter Spindler said: "On this occasion, the systems and processes that we have in place with the alarm companies weren't followed and, as a result of that, officers did not attend the premises when, in fact, they probably should have done and for that I want to apologise."

A more detailed investigation into the defeat of the alarm system is continuing and Scotland Yard says it will share any lessons learnt.

It is unknown exactly how much the robbers took in the heist but reports suggest it could total over €300 million.