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Under the guidance of executive producer Guy Ritchie, we delve into a fresh documentary about an unsuccessful attempt at stealing from the Millennium Dome – “The Millennium Dome Heist: A Failed Attempt” perhaps?

Presenting conversations with both the offenders and law enforcement officials tracking their actions, this three-part production is often referred to as a “well-crafted Netflix documentary series with an intriguing edge.

However, let’s delve into the details of their purported robbery and find out if they managed to pull it off. Stay tuned for an in-depth exploration of the alleged crime, insights from key players, and the story of the person who caught wind of their plans.

What was the Millenium Dome diamond heist?

The Diamond Heist was an attempted robbery of the Millenium Dome’s Dee Beers diamond exhibition.

Back in November 2000, a group of criminals from the area hatched a scheme to snatch the Millennium Star, a dazzling gem weighing approximately 203.04 carats and valued at around £200 million.

The strategy was for the group to forcefully breach the Dome’s external layer, then penetrate the vault, deploy smoke bombs to confuse surveillance cameras, shatter the protective glass cover, and exit within five minutes – with a speedboat at the ready on the Thames to swiftly transport them away.

In a conversation with TopMob magazine, one of the robbers, Lee Wenham, expressed that the plan seemed somewhat unrealistic. “After visiting the Dome numerous times,” he said, “I noticed the security was quite lax. I had a desire to take part in something truly monumental, and what could be bigger than this?

But what the gang didn’t know is that the police were on to their plan.

“Let’s just say that they were informed, and there’s nothing you can do about that,” Wenham said.

How did the police catch the Diamond Heist gang?

The authorities learned about their scheme when one of the gang members collided a van into a pub. Subsequently, Wenham was tracked by police to and from the Dome, and when a speedboat appeared at Wenham’s father’s farm, it became evident that they had a specific plan in mind.

Lee Wenham admitted guilt for conspiring to commit theft and received a prison sentence of four years. Additionally, he was given another nine-year sentence following his confession regarding an attempted robbery in Aylesford, Kent.

Originally, associates Raymond Betson and William Cockram received a sentence of 18 years for their role in a plot to commit robbery. However, this sentence was eventually lowered to 15 years upon appeal.

In this case, Aldo Ciarrocchi and Robert Adams received a sentence of 15 years each, while Terry Millman passed away due to cancer before the trial began. On the other hand, Kevin Meredith was convicted for his role in a conspiracy to steal and was sentenced to five years.

Regarding the robbers and their attempted heist, Swinfield remarked: “I admire them as opponents. However, they fell short because we were observing them, and they didn’t realize it.

We didn’t succeed because we had anticipated every possible exit strategy they could take, and we were always ready to intercept. Essentially, our skills and strategies outmatched theirs.

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2025-04-16 11:38