Introduction

Heist – a single word but one which conjures up images of well-planned and well-oiled criminal machines, carrying out daring raids in an Ocean’s Eleven style with precision and a degree of charm. Step away from the cinematic portrayals and the glamorous image of the dashing raider and what you find instead is, in fact, a harsh reality that is darker and far grimmer.

Lives have been lost and survivors scarred physically and mentally by those who have made it their mission to get their hands on other people’s money and valuables by any means.

From the outset, the intention of Heist was never to glamorise or sensationalise the crimes detailed in the chapters which follow. Instead, the motivation was to catalogue some of the most notable episodes in Scotland’s criminal history and to revisit incidents which, for very different reasons, made a lasting impact on those who found themselves caught up in them.

The sums involved run into tens of millions of pounds but monetary value is a poor barometer in this particular sphere. In every case, there is a human cost which is far more difficult to quantify but far greater than any financial loss.

The breadth of the enterprises covered in the pages of this book paints a picture of the lengths some will go to simply to profit. From murderous attacks to subtle sleight of hand and forgery, there is no textbook heist.

The research process threw up some common threads and familiar patterns, particularly the constant threat of armed robberies. That is something which has existed for centuries and looks set to continue to be a scourge of society for as long as weapons exist. Just as significantly, it also demonstrated the probability of the villains being caught – which is high. There is a misconception that those with, for want of a better word, the courage to carry out high-profile heists can get rich quick if they get the detail right. The truth is that very few have succeeded in escaping detection. Sometimes it is instant while on other occasions it may take weeks, months or years – but, eventually, past actions have had a habit of catching up with the culprits. If there is a crumb of comfort for the victims of these crimes, surely that is it.

What is clear is that there is no such thing as the perfect crime. Even in those rare cases which remain unsolved and where the proceeds have not been traced, mistakes were always made which gave police impetus for their investigation and positive lines to follow. The fear of a knock on the door must always be there for those who, so far, have evaded capture.

History shows that robbery is not a modern phenomenon, as some cases within Heist demonstrate, but, as time moves on, so does technology. The underworld is being forced to try to keep pace with those advances but there is little doubt that life on the wrong side of the fence is being made tougher all the time. From that, we can all take reassurance. But, as long as there is greed, there will always be temptation. Scotland will remain a target but it will not be just among the ‘local’ criminal fraternity. From European gangs staging million-pound jewel snatches to cross-border raiders travelling from England, Heist explores a number of incidents in which the finger of suspicion points beyond the home borders.

It also delves into the world of art and antiquities – a black market whose worth, globally, is close to that of illegal narcotics – as well as into high-tech raids of stolen computer equipment with a value that would have been unimaginable to those guilty of the far earlier crimes of cash thefts and the ‘traditional’ bank robbery.

Everything from escapes by bicycle, descents through ceilings and the use of JCB diggers to curious cases of the theft of much vaunted rhinoceros heads and priceless paintings by the masters are covered in the following pages. Which takes it back to where we started and cinema script comparisons. These real-life heists are not as you see them in the movies. All too often, the truth is more far-fetched than fiction.