The Hatton Garden Heist

[DanaC]

Have any of youse guys been following the reports about this? I've been seeing headlines about it in the news but hadn't really paid much attention to it (lost in Lost).

Having read a couple of pieces on it now, it's kind of interesting. It's like something out of an episode of Elementary.

In a heist befitting another “Ocean’s 11” sequel, crafty crooks bored a massive hole to raid an apparently not-so-safe deposit center in London — making off with more than $300 million in jewelry.

The thieves used a heavy-duty drill to enter the vault and open 72 deposit boxes at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd. between April 2 and April 5, the BBC reported.

The British Metropolitan Police released an image showing the gaping hole in the concrete, measuring roughly 20 inches deep, 18 inches wide and 10 inches tall.

Power tools, crowbars and discarded boxes were found inside. The crooks carted their loot away in wheeled trash cans.

The burglars are still at large.

Many of the boxes’ contents were uninsured, so the true value will likely never be known.

Rest of story and more pics here:

http://nypost.com/2015/04/22/crooks-...m-jewel-heist/

[fargon]

Not a bit of steel in that concrete, no wonder they got thru so easily.

[DanaC]

hahahahaha

fargon, you are such a bloke.

[Sundae]

I've heard people on the radio complaining about the police not telling them which boxes were hit. I get why they're cross, the police obviously know, so it's unfair of them not to quietly inform the owners.
I do think the owners were being cheap if they didn't insure the goods. Although I also get why they didn't, them being held in a supposedly secure place which they were already paying for and all that.

But I find it hard to really sympathise with people who have things valuable enough to keep in vaults. I'd settle for the price of a support bandage for my knackered ankle this week. They no longer provide them on the NHS, as they are not essential to healing. Rotters.

[xoxoxoBruce]

It took a lot of time and water to bore those holes.

[Gravdigr]

I read one item about this that identified the drill used. I can't find the article now, but, I remember it was a Hilti brand.

[Clodfobble]

What I wonder about is the noise. In the movies, they're always careful to fill that plot hole with "construction in the area" or "over a weekend when no one's there." How did they drill three holes that big with no one hearing?

[limey]

I think the story was "construction in the area". Specifically residents had been given a bogus letter warning of construction noise over the weekend (a long one as I recall).

Sent by thought transference

[xoxoxoBruce]

The movie plots have them breaking up the concrete with jackhammer type tools, which makes a lot of noise. This was taken out in three plugs with diamond rimmed hole saws. I've seen 8 inch in use and I'm sure they make much bigger. It's not all that noisy, but takes a lot longer, and they require water for cooling and to wash the cut dust out. I have several half inch ones for drilling glass.

[limey]

The hole was pretty small. 18 X 8 inches or something like that.

Sent by thought transference

[Undertoad]

The guy is anchoring the Hilti DD350 into place and the he attaches the concrete hole saw. You can skip ahead to 1:52 to see it start to operate. Basically, it takes them 7 minutes from starting to set up, to having a 4" hole drilled through about 3 feet of re-enforced concrete.

I want one

[footfootfoot]

Yeah, the steel doesn't slow it down at all. My BIL the plumber uses these all the time to cut into concrete to run new waste lines. They are fast and not terribly noisy. Some of these diamond saws cut better dry. Dusty as all fuck but fast. This one is clearly making mud.

[Sundae]

Of course, slightly more intersting (to me) is the Hatton name attached to the area.
It being the surname of the evil ex and all.
It's also connected with the story of Lady Elizabeth Hatton, whose exploits gave their name to Bleeding Heart Yard and the Bleeding Heart Tavern (which may have been the real place Dickens renamed as the Three Cripples in his books).

Lady Elizabeth Hatton is supposed to have made a deal with the Devil to promote her husband in the court of Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen (the sobriquet is as unlikely as this story). The Devil came to take his due on the night of a ball held in Hatton House. She danced with him, then he danced her outside and ripped her limb from limb. She was found the next morning in what is now known as Bleeding Heart Yard, because her heart was found there, still pumping blood!

All stuff and nonsense, but a good reason to visit the area.
And the Bleeding Heart Tavern is a fine establishment; I went there because of the connection to the name; my bleeding heart.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I don't believe that video shows going through 3 feet, not even two. I've never seen them go through old concrete dry, he heat would make the diamonds separate from the pipe, although the new stuff it probably much improved.

Here's a bigger unit. At 1:47 a piece of rebar.

[infinite monkey]

Jebus.