Micky McAvoy
Encyclopedia
"Mad" Micky McAvoy is a convicted English armed robber who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1984 for heading up the Brink's-MAT robbery
. He was captured ten days after the robbery. The robbery is considered one of the most notorious ever committed, at the time being labelled "the crime of the century". Despite his 25 year sentence, McAvoy was released on parole in 2000.
The Independent
has described McAvoy as "one of South London
's top armed robbers".
, diamonds and cash in an inside job
. Once inside, they poured petrol over staff and threatened them with a lit match if they did not reveal the combination numbers of the vault. McAvoy was caught after security guard insider Anthony Black, a brother-in-law of McAvoy, passed his name to investigating officers and, in December 1983, McAvoy was arrested. In December 1984, McAvoy was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
McAvoy asked his accomplices George Francis and Brian Perry to look after his share of the gold so it would be waiting for him when he got out. Francis was later murdered and McAvoy was thought to be a suspect. Brian Perry also died in suspicious circumstances.
McAvoy started his sentence at Leicester Prison, where he married his second wife, Kathleen in 1987, before being transferred to Whitemoor Prison and then Long Lartin. Attempts to strike a deal to give back his share of the money in exchange for a cut in his sentence failed as by then the money had vanished.
In January 1995, the High Court
ordered McAvoy to make a payment of £27,488,299, making him responsible for the entire sum stolen.
McAvoy's first wife Jacqueline, the mother of his three children, lost her five-bedroom home after civil courts ruled it was bought with proceeds of the raid.
McAvoy was released in 2000 and is thought to have various homes in Kent
and Spain
. His nephew Jonathan McAvoy received a life sentence for two counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery in 2007.
. A documentary was broadcast on Channel 4
in November 2003 on the events of the raid.
Brink's-MAT robbery
The Brink's-MAT robbery occurred on 26 November 1983 when six robbers broke into the Brink's-MAT warehouse at Heathrow Airport, London. The robbers thought they were going to steal £3 million in cash; however, when they arrived, they found three tonnes of gold bullion...
. He was captured ten days after the robbery. The robbery is considered one of the most notorious ever committed, at the time being labelled "the crime of the century". Despite his 25 year sentence, McAvoy was released on parole in 2000.
The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
has described McAvoy as "one of South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
's top armed robbers".
Career
On 26 November 1983, six robbers broke into the Brink's-MAT warehouse at Heathrow and stole £26 million worth of goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, diamonds and cash in an inside job
Inside job
Inside job refers to a crime committed by a person with a position of trust, such as insider trading.Inside job may also refer to:* Inside Job , a 2005 novella by Connie Willis* Inside Job , a 2000 studio album by Don Henley...
. Once inside, they poured petrol over staff and threatened them with a lit match if they did not reveal the combination numbers of the vault. McAvoy was caught after security guard insider Anthony Black, a brother-in-law of McAvoy, passed his name to investigating officers and, in December 1983, McAvoy was arrested. In December 1984, McAvoy was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
McAvoy asked his accomplices George Francis and Brian Perry to look after his share of the gold so it would be waiting for him when he got out. Francis was later murdered and McAvoy was thought to be a suspect. Brian Perry also died in suspicious circumstances.
McAvoy started his sentence at Leicester Prison, where he married his second wife, Kathleen in 1987, before being transferred to Whitemoor Prison and then Long Lartin. Attempts to strike a deal to give back his share of the money in exchange for a cut in his sentence failed as by then the money had vanished.
In January 1995, the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
ordered McAvoy to make a payment of £27,488,299, making him responsible for the entire sum stolen.
McAvoy's first wife Jacqueline, the mother of his three children, lost her five-bedroom home after civil courts ruled it was bought with proceeds of the raid.
McAvoy was released in 2000 and is thought to have various homes in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. His nephew Jonathan McAvoy received a life sentence for two counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery in 2007.
Media
In 1992, a movie called Fools Gold based on the robbery was released with McAvoy portrayed by Sean BeanSean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
. A documentary was broadcast on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in November 2003 on the events of the raid.