Channel 5 - Heists Series 1 (2016) Part 4 Secrets of the Great Train Robbery

The incredible true stories behind some of the world's biggest, most infamous robberies. The great train robbery, the biggest diamond robbery or the theft of Mona Lisa. Get to know up close the most famous crimes in history … In six parts, we will take you to the world's greatest robberies and reveal their secrets. This series tells us incredible, yet true stories of the world's biggest robberies. With the help of action scenes, series takes the viewer through the crime step by step, from compiling a plan for the robbery and its course to a police search and the consequences. Legendary robberies are brought back with archival footage, dramatized scenes, or even the perpetrators themselves and other participants - experts and witnesses. HEISTS unlocks the truth behind the most audacious robberies in the history of the UK. With action packed dramatic re-enactments and interviews with those who were there we discover how these daring crimes were committed to uncover the masterminds and the plots behind them.

Part 4 Secrets of the Great Train Robbery

The Great Train Robbery of August 1963, when over E2.5million – about E40m in modern terms – in cash was stolen from the Glasgow to London Euston Royal Mail overnight train. The robbery saw the thieves walk away with around E2.5million, and while similarly scaled heists have been mounted since, none has captured the public imagination in the same way. While the criminals responsible were eventually brought to justice, common perception still views them as successful in their endeavour. The 15 member gang managed to pull off the caper without using a single gun. The money they stole was on it's way to being burned, and the crew would have gotten away with it — had they not played a game of monopoly in a barn with all the stolen cash, and leaving their fingerprints as evidence. When police arrived to the Leatherslade Farm, they found 20 empty mailbags on the ground near a 3-foot hole and a shovel. The getaway vehicles were covered nearby. By January of 1964, authorities had enough evidence to try 12 of the criminals. Eleven of the 12 received harsh sentences of 20 to 30 years. The Great Train Robbery was littered with mistakes, bad decisions and careless errors by the gang that would prove to be the robbers' undoing. Includes contributions by two police officers involved in the investigation, and Tommy Wisbey, one of the last surviving members of the gang that did the deed.

A Channel 5 Production for Viacom International Media Networks

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