Four men admit conspiracy over Hatton Garden Safe Deposit raid

Four men have admitted their role in plotting the Hatton Garden Easter raid which saw valuables worth more than £10 million stolen.

They are John Collins, 74, of Blestoe Walk, Islington, north London; Daniel Jones, 58, of Park Avenue, Enfield, north London; Terry Perkins, 67, of Heene Road, Enfield, north London; and Brian Reader, 76, of Dartford Road, Dartford.

They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle, namely to enter Hatton Garden Safe Deposit in London with intent to steal, between January 1 and April 7.

They appeared at Woolwich Crown Court in south-east London, supported by friends and family in the public gallery.

The men will be sentenced at a date to be confirmed.

All four men also faced a charge of conspiracy to convert or transfer criminal property, namely a quantity of jewellery and other items between April 1 and May 19, but in light of their guilty pleas in relation to the conspiracy to burgle, Philip Evans, prosecuting, said the Crown would not be pursuing the charge.

Hugh Doyle, 48, of Riverside Gardens, Enfield, north London; William Lincoln, 60, of Winkley Street, Bethnal Green, east London; and taxi driver John Harbinson, 42, of Beresford Gardens, Benfleet, Essex, denied conspiracy.

They also pleaded not guilty to the laundering offence and are due to stand trial later this year.

Paul Reader, 50, of Dartford Road, Dartford, and Carl Wood, 58, of Elderbeck Close, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, are yet to enter pleas.

All nine men appeared in custody and were accompanied in the dock by 13 security guards.

The raid over the Easter weekend saw thieves break into the vault in London's diamond district, after using a drill to bore a hole 20in deep, 10in high and 18in into the vault wall.

Officers believe they got into the building, which houses a number of businesses, through a communal entrance before disabling the lift so they could climb down the shaft to the basement.

Once inside, the thieves ransacked 73 safety deposit boxes.

After facing criticism for the way the incident was handled, the Metropolitan Police apologised for not following procedures when receiving a call from a security firm about an intruder alert at the premises at midnight on Good Friday.

Flying Squad detectives rejected the suggestion they were bungling "Keystone Cops".

Doyle, Lincoln, and Harbinson are due to stand trial on November 16 this year.