Incredible criminal career of Hatton Garden heist mastermind Brian Reader exposed in new book

A BEHIND the scenes glimpse of one of Britain’s most light-fingered thieves is set to be revealed for the first time.

Brian Reader has been one of the country’s most prolific jewel thieves, involved in raids and heists totalling more than £200 million – including pulling off the Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary last year.

At the age of 32, Reader was also among the gang of master thieves who were dubbed the Millionaire Moles.

The group managed to tunnel about 40 feet into a Central London bank vault in 1971, escaping with £3 million.

But , with gang insiders, relatives, friends and detectives sharing their insights on the thief’s work.

Reader is believed to have been involved in a string of burglaries in the 1960s, including a hit on a Post Office in Albemarle Street in 1969 that took out £500,000 – worth about £7.5 million today.

Another huge hit included when the group pulled off the 1971 Baker Street raid on Lloyds Bank.

The thieves walked away with £3 million – about £40 million today – before Reader and his family were forced to go on the run when one of the thieves turned police informant on the group.

Reader is even claimed to have pulled off one of the most dangerous heists while he was on the run, taking out £3 million in a raid of Lloyds Bank in Holborn Circus.

But more personal details have been exposed in the book, including about his marriage and family life.

Reader, who married sweetheart Lyn Kidd in 1963 with a lifelong friend saying: “Brian would go home every night to Lyn and, unlike most successful criminals, he never had mistresses.

“He wasn’t one for nightclubs and the fast life. Brian’s a quiet family man and he did everything for Lyn.”

A detective who was later involved in the arrest of Reader after one of his crimes said: “He never did a day’s legitimate work in his life so he had lots of time with his kids and wife. He was a family man.”

Lyn ultimately demanded an end to the family’s life on the run, with the family living under the assumed name of McCarthy in Grove Park, South East London.

But even while living under police radar and being one of Scotland Yard’s most-wanted fugitives, Reader managed to steal gold in a huge heist at the International Trading Estate.

He was ultimately caught in 1985, sentenced to nine years jail.

Reader, who was born in London’s Docklands on February 28 in 1939, and was just 11 when he was first charged with burglary.

The young man was given a 12-month conditional discharge at the East London Juvenile court for four offences of “stealing tinned fruit by means of store-breaking”.

He was later sentenced at the Old Bailey at the age of 18, given two years probation for grievous bodily harm with intent and burglary.

His career ended with one last job when he and a gang ransacked 73 boxes from the Hatton Garden Safe, abseiling down a lift shaft and disabling the hi-tech alarm system before they used a diamond-tipped drill to get into the vault.

Reader was sentenced to six years jail for the crime, with  one member, known as Basil, never caught.

One Last Job, by Tom Pettifor and Nick Sommerlad, is on sale on Thursday priced at £8.99.

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