Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery
Encyclopedia
The Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery took place on 12 July 1987 in Knightsbridge
, England
, part of the City of Westminster
in London
. This robbery, the Banco Central burglary at Fortaleza
, and the $900 million stolen from the Central Bank of Iraq
in 2003 are said to be the largest bank robberies in history.
The robbery was led by Valerio Viccei (1955–2000), a lawyer
's son who arrived in London in 1986 from his native Italy
, where he was wanted for 50 armed robberies. Once in London, he quickly resumed his robbery career to fund his playboy lifestyle.
On the day of the robbery, two men entered the Knightsbridge
Safe Deposit Centre and requested to rent a Safe deposit box
. After being shown into the vault
, they produced hand guns and subdued the manager and security guard
s.
The thieves then hung a sign on the street-level door explaining that the Safe Deposit Centre was temporarily closed, whilst letting in further accomplices. They broke open many of the safe deposit boxes and left with a hoard estimated to be worth £
60 million (equivalent to roughly US
$
98 million at the 1987 exchange rate; the inflation-adjusted value would be £105 million ($174 million) ). (However, the true value of the haul was only estimated, as those renting the boxes may have, for various reasons, not accurately reported the contents.)
One hour after the robbers departed, the shift changed and the new staff discovered the crime and alerted the police.
Police forensic investigators recovered a bloody fingerprint
that was traced to Valerio Viccei. After a period of surveillance
, several of his accomplices were arrested during a series of coordinated raids on 12 August 1987 and later were convicted of the crime. Viccei, however, fled to Latin America for some time. Later, when he returned to England to retrieve and ship his Ferrari Testarossa
to Latin America
, police arrested him by blocking the road and smashing the front windscreen of his car and dragging him out.
Viccei was sentenced to 22 years, serving his sentence in Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight
. While serving his sentence there, he forged a friendship with Dick Leach, a Flying Squad
officer who led his arrest. They regularly wrote letters to each other, referring to themselves as Fred
(Leach) and Garfield
or The Wolf (Viccei).
In 1992, he was deported to Italy to serve the rest of his sentence. He was incarcerated in an open jail in Pescara
, where he was allowed to live a lifestyle he was already accustomed to, as well as running a translation company.
On 19 April 2000, during a day release from prison, a gunfight broke out between Viccei, an accomplice and the police, resulting in the death of Viccei.
Two autobiographies of Viccei's life have been published, titled Too Fast to Live (1992) and Live by the Gun, Die by the Gun (published posthumously in 2004).
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, part of the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. This robbery, the Banco Central burglary at Fortaleza
Banco Central burglary at Fortaleza
The Banco Central burglary at Fortaleza was the theft of about R$ 160 million from the vault of the Banco Central branch located in Fortaleza, in the state of Ceará, Brazil...
, and the $900 million stolen from the Central Bank of Iraq
Central Bank of Iraq
-History:The Central Bank of Iraq was established as Iraq's central bank by Central Bank of Iraq Law 2004 with authorised capital of 100 billion dinars. The current Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq is Sinan Al Shabibi.-Architecture:...
in 2003 are said to be the largest bank robberies in history.
The robbery was led by Valerio Viccei (1955–2000), a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
's son who arrived in London in 1986 from his native Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he was wanted for 50 armed robberies. Once in London, he quickly resumed his robbery career to fund his playboy lifestyle.
On the day of the robbery, two men entered the Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
Safe Deposit Centre and requested to rent a Safe deposit box
Safe deposit box
A safe deposit box or wrongly referred to as a safety deposit box is an individually-secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault. Safe deposit boxes are generally located in banks, post offices or other institutions...
. After being shown into the vault
Bank vault
A bank vault is a secure space where money, valuables, records, and documents can be stored. It is intended to protect their contents from theft, unauthorized use, fire, natural disasters, and other threats, just like a safe...
, they produced hand guns and subdued the manager and security guard
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
s.
The thieves then hung a sign on the street-level door explaining that the Safe Deposit Centre was temporarily closed, whilst letting in further accomplices. They broke open many of the safe deposit boxes and left with a hoard estimated to be worth £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
60 million (equivalent to roughly US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
$
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
98 million at the 1987 exchange rate; the inflation-adjusted value would be £105 million ($174 million) ). (However, the true value of the haul was only estimated, as those renting the boxes may have, for various reasons, not accurately reported the contents.)
One hour after the robbers departed, the shift changed and the new staff discovered the crime and alerted the police.
Police forensic investigators recovered a bloody fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
that was traced to Valerio Viccei. After a period of surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
, several of his accomplices were arrested during a series of coordinated raids on 12 August 1987 and later were convicted of the crime. Viccei, however, fled to Latin America for some time. Later, when he returned to England to retrieve and ship his Ferrari Testarossa
Ferrari Testarossa
The Ferrari Testarossa is a 12-cylinder mid-engine sports car manufactured by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer...
to Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, police arrested him by blocking the road and smashing the front windscreen of his car and dragging him out.
Viccei was sentenced to 22 years, serving his sentence in Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. While serving his sentence there, he forged a friendship with Dick Leach, a Flying Squad
Flying Squad
The Flying Squad is a branch of the Specialist Crime Directorate, within London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Squad's purpose is to investigate commercial armed robberies, along with the prevention and investigation of other serious armed crime...
officer who led his arrest. They regularly wrote letters to each other, referring to themselves as Fred
Fred Basset
Fred Basset is a comic strip about a male basset hound. The cartoon was created by Scottish cartoonist Alex Graham and published first in the Daily Mail on July 8, 1963. It has since been syndicated around the world....
(Leach) and Garfield
Garfield
Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
or The Wolf (Viccei).
In 1992, he was deported to Italy to serve the rest of his sentence. He was incarcerated in an open jail in Pescara
Pescara
Pescara is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. As of January 1, 2007 it was the most populated city within Abruzzo at 123,059 residents, 400,000 with the surrounding metropolitan area...
, where he was allowed to live a lifestyle he was already accustomed to, as well as running a translation company.
On 19 April 2000, during a day release from prison, a gunfight broke out between Viccei, an accomplice and the police, resulting in the death of Viccei.
Two autobiographies of Viccei's life have been published, titled Too Fast to Live (1992) and Live by the Gun, Die by the Gun (published posthumously in 2004).