Baker Street robbery

The Baker Street robbery took place at the Lloyds Bank branch on Baker Street in the City of Westminster. The building stands in the Marylebone district, two doors away from a leather goods shop called Le Sac. The bank’s vault lay beneath the pavement, and the gang dug a 40-foot tunnel from the shop’s basement to reach it. They chose this spot because the shop’s basement was at the same level as the vault. The tunnel ran under another building’s basement before ending beneath the bank. Workers removed tonnes of earth through the shop, hiding the spoil at the back of the premises. The robbery was planned by Anthony Gavin, a career criminal inspired by a Sherlock Holmes story. He recruited a team that included Reg Tucker, Thomas Stephens and Benjamin Wolfe, who signed the lease for Le Sac. The gang measured the vault using an umbrella and arm spans, then gathered tools including a thermal lance and gelignite. A lookout on a nearby roof used a walkie-talkie to warn of police, but his signals were first ignored. An amateur radio enthusiast recorded the gang’s chatter and convinced police to act. Officers searched 750 banks within an 8-mile radius but still missed the burglars. Inside the vault, the gang blasted a 12-inch hole through the floor and emptied 268 safety deposit boxes. They took property worth up to £3 million, though only £231,000 was recovered. Police arrested the gang soon after, aided by informers and Wolfe’s signed lease. Gavin, Tucker and Stephens received twelve-year sentences, while Wolfe got eight years. Rumours later claimed the burglars found compromising photos, but no evidence supports these stories. The case inspired a 2008 film, and many documents remain sealed until 2071.