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[mysterious music playing]
2
00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,320
[man 1] The essence of any great story
3
00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:19,000
is the "fuck me" moment.
4
00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,680
{\an8}[man 2] It was one of the most
daring robberies ever.
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00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:24,560
[woman 1] Biggest diamond heist
in the world.
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One where you go, "Fuck me, really?"
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[man 3] This was the glittering prize.
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00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:34,040
The De Beers Millennium Star,
a flawless stone of 203 carats.
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00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:36,520
Worth over 350 million.
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[man 4] It's audacious in the extreme.
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It was just something
you couldn't comprehend.
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You couldn't imagine
that people would attempt it.
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How the f-- hell did they do it?
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Are you all sitting comfortably?
And I'll begin. [laughing]
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{\an8}[mysterious music continues]
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{\an8}[man 5] I wasn't surprised someone
was going to try and steal the diamonds
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{\an8}because if I was a robber,
I would probably think the same way.
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{\an8}You can't help but be impressed
by their planning,
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{\an8}by their balls.
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{\an8}- [machines clacking]
- [glass shattering]
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{\an8}You wouldn't believe it
if it were in the movies, but it's true.
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{\an8}[JCB engine revving]
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{\an8}[metal crashing]
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{\an8}[man 1] This was the epitome
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{\an8}of the great, "Fuck me, that is a story."
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{\an8}- [gun cocks]
- [music continues]
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[opening theme music playing]
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[seagulls cawing]
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[compelling string music playing]
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[man 6] Seeing the Dome
brings back a lot of memories.
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It was a really wild time in my life.
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I've never spoken about what happened.
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But I feel like I'm finally ready
to tell my side of the story.
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I think the best place to start…
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would be July 2000.
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Four months before the diamond heist.
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["Smack My Bitch Up"
by The Prodigy playing]
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[radio beeps]
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[robber] Target spotted.
Right on schedule.
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Copy that.
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[tires squealing]
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[robber, on radio] We're in position.
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[engine revs]
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[man 6] We spent months
planning a job on a security van.
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[horn honking]
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There was 8,900,000 in there.
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[horn honking]
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[man 6] It was the biggest job of my life.
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But before we could get to the cash…
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we had to take care
of the security guards.
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00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,440
Gentlemen, put your hands
on the windscreen.
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On the inside of the cab,
they've got a panic button,
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so we needed to get them
to put their hands on the windscreen.
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I said…
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put your fucking hands on the windscreen!
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[man 6] Even with a shotgun
pointed at their faces…
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[robber whistles]
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…some security guards try to be heroes.
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- So I made sure that we had a backup plan.
- [device beeping]
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♪ Change my pitch up ♪
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The security van's bulletproof,
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but it's not bombproof.
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♪ Change my pitch up… ♪
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We didn't want to harm anybody.
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We just wanted to scare them
into doing what we want them to do.
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If someone put it on the side of your car,
and it looks like a landmine…
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00:04:16,840 --> 00:04:18,160
[device beeping]
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00:04:20,280 --> 00:04:21,640
…what are you gonna do?
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The only way to get into the back
of that van is to make a hole in it.
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- Go!
- [explosion]
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00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:37,920
But you don't want it to be like
it was on The Italian Job
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when they blew the van up.
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00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,240
You're only supposed to blow
the bloody doors off!
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[laughing]
75
00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:46,840
[man 6] So, why not make something?
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Smash the doors open in the back
without damaging the money.
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♪ Change my pitch up ♪
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[metallic scraping]
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[man 6] There's nearly £9 million
in the little cages inside.
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00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:16,080
But as soon as the police turned up,
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00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:18,800
we knew we're not gonna have time
to get that money out.
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- [sirens wailing]
- [gun cocking, firing]
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00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:25,960
[suspenseful music playing]
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From then on, it was get away.
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[sirens continue wailing]
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[robber] Go, go!
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[indistinct radio chatter]
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[robber laughing]
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[camera shutter clicks]
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[reporter 1] Armed and masked robbers
used a van equipped with a steel spike
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to ram a Securicor van early today.
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There were reports of shots being fired.
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[rapid punching]
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[reporter 1] Police say
it was a well-planned attack.
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[man 6] It was completely gutting.
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00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:15,600
This job was supposed to be my big payday,
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the one to set me up for life
and give me respect.
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It takes a few weeks to get over it.
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But then you bounce back up
and you go again.
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[radio tuning]
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["Nothing But the Best"
by Frank Sinatra playing]
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{\an8}♪ I like a new Lincoln ♪
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{\an8}- Oh, this song takes me back.
- ♪ With all of its class ♪
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♪ I like a martini ♪
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00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:47,480
♪ And bird on the glass… ♪
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00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,360
My role model growing up
would be my father, I suppose.
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♪ …start living, you wait and see… ♪
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We'd go down to the local pub and meet up
with all these old sort of gangsters.
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Who made it a law that it's wrong
to go and get what you want?
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00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:05,200
If a lion wants something to feed
its babies, it goes and gets it.
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So we do the same.
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[man laughing]
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I respect what they do
and how they carried themselves.
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I was in that little crowd with them,
and you wanna be like them.
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♪ Nothing but the best ♪
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♪ Is good enough for me ♪
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[camera shutter clicks]
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[producer] What'd you think
your dad did for a living?
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From day one, I knew exactly
what he was doing for a living.
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[pensive music playing]
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[Lee] Every two or three weeks,
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my dad's place
was getting raided by police.
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Nine years old,
just lying in bed, you're asleep,
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and all of a sudden your bedroom door's
just, like, knocked open.
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[producer] So, what are your thoughts
on the police?
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00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:46,320
Um…
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["Running Wild"
by Jesse Hector and the Sound playing]
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I think they're all a bunch of cunts.
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♪ Like a train going down the track… ♪
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- [teen 1] Go! Come on!
- [teen 2] All right.
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[Lee] When I was younger,
I was game to do anything.
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[teen 1] Hurry up!
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- Lee, come on! Hurry up!
- [teenage Lee shushing]
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[Lee, present day] But the first thing
I really stole was a JCB.
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00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:10,920
- [teenage Lee grunting, laughing]
- [JCB motor revving]
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Come on!
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- Come on! [laughing]
- [teen 2 panting]
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[both whooping and laughing]
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It was a bit nerve-wracking.
I was a bit shaky.
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[teens laughing]
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You know, you're 15 years old,
and you've just stolen a ten-ton machine.
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[teen 2 yelling indistinctly, laughing]
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[teenage Lee laughing]
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[Lee, present day] But once you've
got away with that first one,
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it's just, "Let's do it again."
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♪ Like a train going out of sight ♪
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♪ I will never forget this night… ♪
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[Lee] I started getting into
bringing over cigarettes.
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And then taking out cash points.
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00:08:56,680 --> 00:08:59,520
I was pulling in six grand a week.
That's a lot of money in your 20s.
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00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:03,840
I didn't want to just be
like the average Joe
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00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:05,120
and just go to work every day.
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I wanted to be different.
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- [song ends]
- I can swear, right?
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- [producer] Yeah.
- Thank God 'cause it's, like, my language.
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[laughs]
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Do you know, it's, like, even if I go out,
I'll be in the pub, I don't know anyone.
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{\an8}I'll get someone going,
"You're Lee Wenham's daughter." I'm like…
159
00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:27,200
{\an8}"No, I don't know
who you're talking about."
160
00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:30,160
{\an8}They're like, "Yeah. We saw him."
And we're like, "Fuck's sake."
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Everyone knows our family. If you mention
the Wenhams, they're like, "We know them."
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[producer] What did you think your dad did
for a living when you were younger?
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[Beth laughing]
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We never asked.
It was a question that was never asked.
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Actually, no,
I actually remember asking him
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because I was in school. It was, like,
"What does Mummy and Daddy do?"
167
00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,880
And the answer was always,
"You don't want to know."
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[Lee] I never wanted my kids
to know what I was up to.
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00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:56,120
And I tried to hide it as much as I could.
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I didn't want them, um…
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00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:01,840
going down the same path.
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00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,920
[Beth] He was very good
at hiding everything he was doing.
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00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,000
You wouldn't have known at all.
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00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:11,680
I just remember him being
really protective over me and my sister
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00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:12,600
all the time.
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00:10:14,680 --> 00:10:16,720
Me and my sister were my dad's world.
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00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:19,480
[crickets chirping]
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00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:21,480
[Lee] When I got to my 20s,
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00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:24,280
I was more or less there
with what I wanted to achieve.
180
00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:26,920
I'd made a lot of money.
I was comfortable.
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00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:29,760
I had my daughters.
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But there was one thing missing.
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00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:36,480
I wanted to be like my dad and his mates,
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00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:38,800
and I just wanted the respect of people,
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00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:42,040
like people would look at them,
the respect they gave them.
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00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:46,640
I wanted to do something really big,
to say that I did that.
187
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[suspenseful music playing]
188
00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:54,080
[Lee] And then in July 2000,
my dad introduced me to Ray Betson.
189
00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:57,800
{\an8}Ray's very well-connected.
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00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,240
He's a big fish in London,
in the criminal world.
191
00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,880
[water gurgling]
192
00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,400
Very sort of, uh… very suave.
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00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:09,640
He had very dark eyes, like shark eyes.
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00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:11,040
[water gurgling]
195
00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:15,320
Look into his eyes, you could see
he could handle himself, you know.
196
00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:18,240
If you crossed him, yeah,
you knew you'd be in trouble.
197
00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:20,280
A lot of trouble. [laughing]
198
00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:32,720
[intriguing music playing]
199
00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,280
[Lee] Ray told me that he was planning
something really big,
200
00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:40,000
and he needed my help.
201
00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,680
It's gonna take a lot of careful planning.
202
00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,320
But if we can pull it off, it means
everyone gets a big payday, that's what.
203
00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:54,720
Ray told me the target he was going for
204
00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:57,600
was in the Millennium Dome.
205
00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:01,280
{\an8}But I didn't have any idea what it was.
206
00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:06,480
[intriguing music continues]
207
00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:14,720
[man 1] I've worked in national newspapers
for 30-odd years,
208
00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,760
and when they built the Millennium Dome…
209
00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:23,120
it had disaster written all over it.
210
00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:28,040
{\an8}- And I thought, "Wow."
- [cash register dings]
211
00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,520
{\an8}That was a story
that was gonna sell newspapers.
212
00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,640
{\an8}["Reverend Black Grape"
by Black Grape playing]
213
00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,080
[Neil] The great thing about newspapers,
214
00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:41,440
particularly tabloid newspapers,
is that things change so quickly.
215
00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:45,080
At the end of the 20th century,
216
00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:48,080
there was an amazing period
of change in Britain.
217
00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,360
No retreat from the road to the future.
218
00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:55,440
[Neil] There was a new government
that was led by a guy called Tony Blair.
219
00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,360
There was something
that was called Cool Britannia.
220
00:12:58,440 --> 00:12:59,920
[woman] The Union Jack is in fashion.
221
00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,760
[Neil] We had Britpop. We had Oasis.
We had Blur. We had the Spice Girls.
222
00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:07,160
And they were setting fire to the world.
223
00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,880
♪ Come, oh ye faithful… ♪
224
00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:14,440
[Neil] TV was exploding, social media
was starting to appear, the Internet.
225
00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:16,200
It was a great, exciting time.
226
00:13:18,560 --> 00:13:20,160
And this government
227
00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:22,520
was determined to cash in on this.
228
00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:24,360
Well…
229
00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:29,640
[Neil] So, in their excitement
to try to mark the millennium coming,
230
00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:34,040
they decided they were gonna build
the Millennium Dome.
231
00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:37,280
[thoughtful music playing]
232
00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:39,560
[Tony Blair] This is Britain's opportunity
233
00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:44,080
to greet the world
with a celebration that is so bold…
234
00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:45,840
[Neil] There'd be lots of exhibitions.
235
00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:52,160
And they got De Beers to create,
effectively, a museum of diamonds.
236
00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:55,520
[fanciful orchestral music playing]
237
00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:01,880
I was always interested
in beautiful things,
238
00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,840
but the diamond is very special.
239
00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:07,520
It's like magic.
240
00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:09,960
Something draws you to it,
and then you can't let it go.
241
00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,480
[musical tinkling]
242
00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:15,600
{\an8}Diacore and myself are
in the business of diamonds,
243
00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:19,600
{\an8}and we specialize
in the very, very rare diamonds.
244
00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:26,520
In the middle of the 1990s,
245
00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:33,120
there was a stone that was discovered
in a very remote area in Zaire,
246
00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:37,640
which is supposed to be
the greatest stone of times.
247
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:40,000
I can show you how it looks.
248
00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,640
I think I have it… here.
249
00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:46,720
This was the rough.
250
00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:52,240
It was 777 carat,
which is extremely unusual.
251
00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,560
And the amazing thing is,
normally when you get big diamonds,
252
00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:58,520
they're only very low quality.
253
00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,520
But this was extremely clear,
254
00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:05,400
what we call ice material.
255
00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:10,840
And the way it presented itself
in the rough was a freak of nature.
256
00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:14,640
Then what runs through your head is,
257
00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:17,600
I have to cut this stone. [chuckles]
258
00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:20,240
[machine whirring]
259
00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,880
[Nir] When it was finished,
I was convinced
260
00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:30,400
that we made
the most beautiful diamond in existence.
261
00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,440
Two hundred and three carats.
262
00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:39,320
We called it
263
00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:42,080
{\an8}the Millennium Star.
264
00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:48,640
- [woman gasps, laughs breathlessly]
- [crowd laughing]
265
00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:53,080
Well, you can imagine how I feel.
It's beautiful.
266
00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:05,640
If the board had asked me,
"Where shouldn't we display this diamond,"
267
00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:07,920
{\an8}the place I would have said to you
was Greenwich,
268
00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:12,960
{\an8}because, you know, that Millennium Dome
wasn't an area to display diamonds.
269
00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,560
[quirky music playing]
270
00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,120
[Tim] I never really had
a look all round Greenwich,
271
00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:23,320
because it was
a bit of a dump place, I think.
272
00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:28,240
It was sort of run-down
after the Second World War.
273
00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,560
It was a long way
from De Beers in the center of London.
274
00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,120
The police are not close by, as such.
275
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:41,840
East London isn't exactly known
as being the natural home of diamonds
276
00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:43,240
and precious things,
277
00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:46,400
not least because
it's been a hotbed of crime
278
00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:47,920
for as long as it's existed.
279
00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,800
The notorious Kray brothers
came from out here.
280
00:16:56,280 --> 00:17:00,160
Endless gangsters were based
out in that area,
281
00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:07,520
and yet De Beers were putting on an almost
obscene display of incredible wealth.
282
00:17:08,120 --> 00:17:09,880
Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
283
00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:16,080
[Tim] The Dome was basically a tent
with a flat, concrete floor,
284
00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:17,680
and nothing else.
285
00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:21,360
So, it must have been red rag to a bull
286
00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:23,520
that some thieves
would be looking at this, thinking,
287
00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,640
"How can I actually steal
these particular diamonds?"
288
00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:27,840
[bull roars]
289
00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:32,480
We had to build something there
that enabled us to be ensured
290
00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:35,680
that when the diamonds were put in there,
they couldn't be stolen.
291
00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:39,720
First of all, we bought a hexagonal vault,
292
00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:44,200
which was three-feet thick
with these metal bars inside it.
293
00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:46,680
["In the Hall of the Mountain King"
by Edvard Grieg playing]
294
00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,200
This would stop people
trying to drill through it…
295
00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:51,080
[metallic thud]
296
00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,520
{\an8}…and withstand the penetration
of something like an armored vehicle
297
00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,640
trying to smash through the side walls.
298
00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:57,560
[fly buzzing]
299
00:17:57,640 --> 00:17:59,400
[Tim] It had various types of detectors.
300
00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:00,440
[alarm blaring]
301
00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:04,080
[Tim] Any movement from literally a fly
would set these things off.
302
00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:05,400
[fly buzzes]
303
00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:08,560
[Tim] At the same time,
inside were cameras,
304
00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:12,160
and these were fed back
to our security room
305
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:16,240
with three men on duty 24 hours a day
to cover whatever was going on inside.
306
00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:18,200
["In the Hall of the Mountain King"
continues]
307
00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,440
[Tim] Now the next thing is
the display cabinets.
308
00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:23,360
They were very important,
309
00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,960
and I remember paying
something like £56,000
310
00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,040
for this impregnable glass.
311
00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:33,880
It was stated by the company
that a demented person with an ice axe
312
00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,560
after half an hour might be able
to penetrate the glass.
313
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:43,680
["In the Hall of the Mountain King"
continues frenetically]
314
00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:45,600
It was a Fort Knox, no doubt about it.
315
00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:46,960
[song ends with flourish]
316
00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,560
[moody music playing]
317
00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:08,760
{\an8}[Lee] Ray told me
the target they was going for
318
00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:11,320
{\an8}was Millennium Star.
319
00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:19,120
[musical tinkling plays with moody music]
320
00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:20,080
[music stops abruptly]
321
00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:21,960
Crazy. [chuckles]
322
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,320
It was a little bit farfetched, I think,
323
00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:27,560
a bit too out there.
324
00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:30,040
[moody music resumes]
325
00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:32,280
[Lee] Too much attention around the Dome.
326
00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:35,040
It was just too big. It was too public.
327
00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:39,280
But Ray told me,
328
00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:41,240
if we can pull it off…
329
00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:47,160
it was going to be
the biggest heist of all time.
330
00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:50,040
[upbeat hip-hop song playing]
331
00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:55,280
[reporter 2] The gang took 120 mailbags,
holding £2.5 million in banknotes.
332
00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:57,520
♪ Get money, money
Get money, money, money ♪
333
00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:59,240
♪ We only wanna make that cash… ♪
334
00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:02,840
[reporter 3] Robbers got away with
nearly three tons of gold bullion
335
00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:04,800
from the Brink's-Mat vault
at Heathrow Airport.
336
00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:06,440
♪ Make that stack ♪
337
00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:07,520
♪ Watch this… ♪
338
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,080
[reporter 4] The three armed raiders
emptied 126 boxes
339
00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:14,080
of millions of pounds' worth of jewelry.
340
00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:17,800
♪ Cash make me feel better… ♪
341
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:24,040
[reporter 5] The mugger threatened him,
forcing him to hand over £292 million.
342
00:20:24,120 --> 00:20:25,240
♪ …make me feel better ♪
343
00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,320
♪ Go through the cash and stack 'em up ♪
344
00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:28,720
♪ Stack 'em up ♪
345
00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:31,040
♪ Double the cash and stack 'em up ♪
346
00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:32,720
{\an8}♪ Stack 'em, stack 'em up ♪
347
00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:34,800
♪ Get money, money
Get money, money, money… ♪
348
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,200
[slot machine music playing melodically]
349
00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:39,400
{\an8}[Lee] Ray said
I was gonna get a million quid.
350
00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:40,320
{\an8}[cash register dings]
351
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:42,680
A million quid sounds good to me.
352
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:46,760
[producer] What did Ray tell you
he was gonna do with the diamonds?
353
00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:49,760
Obviously he's not gonna nick them
and put them in the cupboard.
354
00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:54,360
Ray had a buyer,
but I don't know who it was.
355
00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:56,560
I didn't want to know, to be honest.
356
00:20:57,480 --> 00:20:58,800
I didn't say no.
357
00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,480
I left it a couple of days,
and in that time,
358
00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:03,880
I went up to have a look for myself.
359
00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:06,360
♪ Double my
Double my, double my, double my ♪
360
00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:08,120
[Lee] I took my daughter Beth with me.
361
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:11,680
Just thought if I had a family
or a daughter with me,
362
00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:14,280
then I would just sort
of blend into everyone else.
363
00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:16,120
[chuckles]
364
00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:18,360
[thrilling music playing]
365
00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,400
[Beth] There was never a plan with Dad.
He's a very impulsive person.
366
00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:24,320
So it was literally just wake up
and he was like, "Right."
367
00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,200
"Got a day out planned. Get in the car.
We're gonna go up to the Dome."
368
00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:32,000
It was like, "This is a great day out.
You know, this is so fun for us."
369
00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,520
Not knowing the reason
why we were there. [laughs]
370
00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,440
[Lee] We walked into the Dome,
walked around.
371
00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:45,600
Uh, they had a show on inside,
some display of people on ropes and stuff.
372
00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:49,800
There was some big thing you walk through.
373
00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,360
{\an8}[Beth] It's like a giant person,
and you walked the whole way through it,
374
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,800
{\an8}and then, like, all the organs were,
like, there, next to you.
375
00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:58,800
Giant. In your face.
376
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:00,720
{\an8}[heart beating]
377
00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,400
{\an8}I don't know who came up with that idea,
but it was creepy as hell.
378
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:07,360
[Lee] I just thought it was crap,
to be honest.
379
00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:09,280
Thought it was shit.
380
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,720
[reporter 6] Millennium Dome organizers
shocked the world today
381
00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:15,160
by announcing they've sold
hardly any tickets.
382
00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:16,760
This is due to bad advertising
383
00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,040
or because it sounds like
the most rubbish day out ever.
384
00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:21,000
Easy, boy, it's okay.
385
00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:25,200
[Neil] There was this general feeling
of failure about it.
386
00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:27,200
What's wrong with the Dome?
387
00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:29,320
I mean, there must be
something wrong with it.
388
00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:30,920
[Neil] It got to the point
389
00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:35,760
where it was becoming
the butt of comedians' jokes.
390
00:22:36,360 --> 00:22:37,720
Where have I taken you, then?
391
00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:39,440
The Millennium Dome.
392
00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:41,920
Oh yeah, I'm really sorry about that.
393
00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,160
[audience laughing]
394
00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,040
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,
395
00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:50,920
we are honored to present
the De Beers Millennium Star.
396
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,200
[Lee] The only exciting thing
was the diamonds.
397
00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,720
As you walk in, there was,
I think, 11 blue diamonds in a cabinet.
398
00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:02,040
[Beth] I remember thinking,
"Wow, look. They're so pretty."
399
00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:04,320
Every girl, you're like,
"Diamonds, I want a diamond."
400
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:08,160
And I actually remember asking my dad.
I was like, "Can I have one one day?"
401
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:10,560
Maybe he took that too seriously.
402
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:12,560
[ethereal music playing]
403
00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:16,320
[Lee] And then the main Millennium Star
was in, like, a circle glass.
404
00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:19,320
It was something to see.
405
00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:22,400
I was amazed how big it was.
406
00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:28,480
The colors of it,
it was beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
407
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:33,360
It just gleams
in every way you look at it.
408
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,520
Thinking about it now, bit of a piss-take,
wasn't it, putting it where it was.
409
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,320
The East End and that part of London,
it's a rat race of thieves, isn't it?
410
00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:44,400
And you go and put it in the lion's den.
411
00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,160
[lion growls]
412
00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:49,840
I was thinking,
"Obviously we've gotta have it." [laughs]
413
00:23:58,280 --> 00:23:59,920
Don't know anything about diamonds.
414
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:02,000
You know, it's not my field.
415
00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:08,640
So I knew it was gonna be a lot heavier
than what I've ever done before.
416
00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:13,760
It was a big risk.
417
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,160
But I just thought we could do this.
418
00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:19,600
It's not gonna be easy, but we can do it.
419
00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,080
I wanted to be involved
in something really big.
420
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,560
And it couldn't get much bigger, could it?
421
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:28,560
So, why not? Let's go for it.
422
00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:30,960
[driving techno music playing]
423
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:36,440
[Lee] We needed to figure out
how we're gonna get inside the Dome,
424
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:37,680
get into the vault,
425
00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:39,280
get the diamond,
426
00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:42,240
and then get away
without being caught by the police.
427
00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:46,240
But me and Ray couldn't do it on our own.
428
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,240
You can't do a job of this caliber
with two people.
429
00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,360
You do need a big team
to cover every base.
430
00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:56,680
[lock clinking]
431
00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,680
[Lee] The first thing, we needed someone
who could get into the diamond cases.
432
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,720
Someone who was quite good
with tools and stuff like that.
433
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:12,760
{\an8}Bob Adams was, like, a handyman.
434
00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:22,720
[explosion]
435
00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,760
[Lee] Bob was always joking that
he was like Joe Pesci from Goodfellas,
436
00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:27,120
that sort of character.
437
00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:28,360
Funny how? How am I funny?
438
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:30,440
Get the fuck out of here, Tommy.
439
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:33,560
Took the whole job like it was
just another day of going to the office.
440
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,800
I almost had him. I almost had him.
441
00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:40,480
[rousing rock music playing]
442
00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:46,960
[Lee] The second person that we needed
443
00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:50,160
was someone who could handle things
if it got rough.
444
00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:55,840
Someone who wouldn't hesitate
to do the business.
445
00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:57,680
[lion growls]
446
00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,280
{\an8}[Lee] Bill Cockram was
Ray's right-hand man, really.
447
00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:06,520
- [lion growing]
- [man screaming]
448
00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:07,520
[glass shattering]
449
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,400
Any security guards try to get involved,
then Bill would be there to sort them out.
450
00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:13,800
[radio static]
451
00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:16,480
[Lee] The next person that we needed
452
00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:18,920
was someone to be in charge
of the technical side of things.
453
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,000
[dispatch, on radio] From 9-90, he's near
Forest Road towards Kingswood.
454
00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:24,440
{\an8}[Lee] Aldo was younger.
455
00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:26,080
[dispatch] Straight across.
456
00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:28,920
He knew Ray and Bill from South London.
457
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:33,880
I thought he was a bit of a ladies' man.
458
00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:34,840
[razor buzzing]
459
00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:37,440
[Lee] You would never think
he'd be into doing things like this.
460
00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:39,960
But he-- he obviously was.
461
00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:42,040
[rousing rock music continues]
462
00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:46,360
[Lee] The final person we needed
463
00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:49,400
was someone who had
a lot of experience doing robberies.
464
00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:54,640
Open it.
465
00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,320
[Lee] So, that's why we come onto Terry.
466
00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:59,200
Terry was a fucking nightmare.
467
00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:03,480
{\an8}[gun cocks, fires]
468
00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,840
{\an8}[Lee] He was a proper East End gangster,
Terry was.
469
00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,480
Wouldn't blink an eye
at pulling a gun out and shooting someone.
470
00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:13,840
Nothing fazed him.
471
00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:15,280
Thank you.
472
00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:18,680
[Lee] So, we had a team.
473
00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:21,560
Now we need to get to work.
474
00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,000
[pensive music playing]
475
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,800
[Lee] Ray was talking about
how to get into the Dome
476
00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:33,200
when it closed at night.
477
00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:37,880
Obviously, you can't drive into the Dome
478
00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:41,200
'cause of all the obstacles in the way.
479
00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:49,040
So I went back to the Dome
and surveyed the place.
480
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:56,800
I just started slowly walking around
the Dome again,
481
00:27:57,960 --> 00:27:59,920
trying to figure out a way to get inside.
482
00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:05,640
The outside skin of the Dome,
483
00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:09,240
it's got shutters where you can get in.
484
00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:12,000
Massive big roller shutters.
485
00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,560
I think they're made
of Perspex and aluminum.
486
00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:20,920
Outside the Dome,
487
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:23,640
there were these really big steel gates.
488
00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,560
I knew it was gonna take something big
to smash through them.
489
00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:34,800
Then I realized that
490
00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:38,560
there was a lot of building work
going on around the Dome.
491
00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:41,640
And I just thought,
492
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:44,000
"Why don't we use a JCB?"
493
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:46,440
[pensive music continues]
494
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:53,560
[Lee] A JCB could go through
any part of the Dome.
495
00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:59,360
It'll knock every obstacle down
along the way.
496
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:02,640
You know, it's like a tank.
497
00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:04,280
[wood crumbling]
498
00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:07,520
[Lee] A tank in disguise.
499
00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,240
I knew the JCB was going to work, 100%.
500
00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:13,320
[spray paint spraying]
501
00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:19,720
[Lee] I stole the JCB,
502
00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:22,760
put it into a little safe house
that we had, uh, to get it ready.
503
00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:29,320
And that was that.
504
00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:31,720
[intriguing string music playing]
505
00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,600
[Lee] The diamond case
was really thick glass.
506
00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:48,040
You're not gonna put a diamond like that
in just behind a piece of double glazing.
507
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:52,080
You can stand all day with a sledgehammer.
508
00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:54,800
Not gonna go through.
509
00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,120
So, we were thinking
510
00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:00,680
for hours and hours
511
00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:03,600
how to get through those cases.
512
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:06,400
And then,
513
00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:09,160
I realized that
514
00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:11,800
you have to weaken it first.
515
00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:26,160
I suggested that we use a Hilti gun.
516
00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:33,920
A Hilti gun is a nail gun
that fires nails through steel.
517
00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:37,640
Everyone was a bit skeptical about it.
518
00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:38,920
[nail clatters]
519
00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,200
They didn't think the nail gun would be
strong enough to break the glass.
520
00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:48,760
I said, "Let me get one
and then show you."
521
00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:50,840
[suspenseful music playing]
522
00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:55,840
[gun fires]
523
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:01,440
[gun fires]
524
00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:04,320
[gun fires]
525
00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:11,760
[suspenseful music building]
526
00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:15,880
- [sledgehammer banging]
- [glass crackling]
527
00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:30,160
[Lee] I knew it would work.
528
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,040
[Beth] He's a one-off, Dad.
529
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,840
Yeah, I don't think it was ever
on his mind to just be normal
530
00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:39,400
and have a normal job. [laughs]
531
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,520
But he's in a different world.
532
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,920
[Lee] I come from
a gypsy traveling family.
533
00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:50,080
When we were kids,
534
00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:52,760
we would be in a caravan
traveling from one place to the other.
535
00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:58,400
We didn't really socialize
with a lot of people, only our own people.
536
00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:02,080
Gypsies don't go to an office
and go into work nine-to-five.
537
00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:03,760
We do things differently.
538
00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:09,760
I'm dyslexic, and I really struggle
with my reading and writing.
539
00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,920
So, I was pulled out of school
when I was 12.
540
00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:15,920
And then I was going to work with my dad.
541
00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:20,120
From then on,
542
00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:23,720
every day was just
something to do with crime.
543
00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:28,480
And I was getting good at it.
544
00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,320
[suspenseful music playing]
545
00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:38,320
{\an8}[Lee] I went back to the Dome
a dozen times.
546
00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:43,800
{\an8}The vault itself was so big and so thick,
547
00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:46,480
you're not gonna get in without
digging and it'd take a long time.
548
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,640
And if you use explosives,
the diamond could end up in the river.
549
00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:55,400
So, what's the point of that?
550
00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:58,520
How the fuck
are we going to get into that vault?
551
00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:05,760
The vault door was made of solid steel,
about two-feet thick.
552
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:08,840
It needed two men
to open or shut the thing.
553
00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:10,440
That's how heavy it was.
554
00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:15,240
I was completely confident
that it was pretty impregnable.
555
00:33:15,800 --> 00:33:18,880
[producer] What if someone had the code
to the vault? Could they get in that way?
556
00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,840
No. The vault door was on a time lock.
557
00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:24,840
It would be set for the display times…
558
00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:25,760
[buttons beeping]
559
00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:27,720
…which were nine o'clock in the morning
560
00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,160
and finishing at
about six o'clock in the evening.
561
00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:34,960
So, when the doors close,
you set the time lock,
562
00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:36,800
and you can't open it.
563
00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:42,200
Of course, there's always somebody
who's probably brighter than you are
564
00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:44,000
who may be able to break in,
565
00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:48,560
but, uh, I felt that it would be
a very special team to do that.
566
00:33:49,680 --> 00:33:50,720
[bell dings]
567
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:52,800
[dramatic orchestral music playing]
568
00:33:56,560 --> 00:33:59,680
[Lee] The plan was always to do it
when the Dome was closed at night.
569
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:01,480
But I was thinking,
570
00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:04,400
"When's the best time to go?
When the door's open."
571
00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:11,880
The only problem doing it in the daytime
is obviously people being around.
572
00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:18,400
Someone could get on their phone
and call the police straightaway.
573
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:20,480
Someone could get hurt.
574
00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:24,840
But there was no other choice.
575
00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:27,800
You had to go in there
when the door was open.
576
00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,320
So, we needed to figure out
the best time in the day to go in.
577
00:34:35,240 --> 00:34:38,240
And that's when Ray said
he had a brother-in-law
578
00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:41,640
that worked at the Dome.
579
00:34:43,680 --> 00:34:45,720
He said he could, uh, help us out.
580
00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:51,080
[man 7] I was a highly respected policeman
in South London.
581
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:56,440
I remember my first day
within the job in Peckham…
582
00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:01,920
and within less than 30 minutes,
583
00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:07,480
{\an8}there was a struggle, and it ended up
with a knife at my throat like this.
584
00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:14,440
It was, um, pretty scary and frightening.
585
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,280
But in 1999,
586
00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:23,240
I had the opportunity to work
on the Millennium Dome team.
587
00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:28,600
They were a team to patrol
the outside perimeter of the Dome.
588
00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:32,280
I can't say it was
the most exciting job I've ever done.
589
00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:35,960
One of the things they did was offer
590
00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:39,040
complimentary tickets
to the policing teams.
591
00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:40,920
So, I gave them to my wife,
592
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,240
and, uh, they've ended up with her sister.
593
00:35:47,720 --> 00:35:49,280
I was on duty that night
594
00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:51,360
patrolling outside.
595
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,640
My wife's sister came out
with her boyfriend.
596
00:35:56,840 --> 00:35:59,440
He introduced himself as Ray Betson.
597
00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:04,920
He said he was a property developer.
598
00:36:05,720 --> 00:36:10,040
He clearly had a good lifestyle, money.
599
00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:11,880
He was very smartly dressed.
600
00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:13,960
He was very suave.
601
00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:16,120
I mean, the best way to describe him,
602
00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:19,440
he looked a bit like a James Bond figure.
He could've been James Bond.
603
00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:21,680
- [boat engine roaring]
- [thrilling music playing]
604
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:29,400
We spoke for about a couple of minutes,
and Ray thanked me,
605
00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:32,760
and, uh, you know, they went on their way.
606
00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:39,880
I'd see Ray at family gatherings.
607
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:43,040
- [instrumental "Deck the Halls" playing]
- [cork pops]
608
00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:44,920
[glasses clink]
609
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:48,640
[Michael] And he was always pleasant
to talk to.
610
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:51,320
Very charming.
611
00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:55,600
Always really polite to my mother-in-law,
612
00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:57,680
my father-in-law, and my wife.
613
00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,600
[instrumental "Deck the Halls" continues]
614
00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:03,920
You know, always seemed
the perfect gentleman.
615
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:05,160
- [song ends]
- [loud growl]
616
00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:10,440
[Michael] Then, one day,
617
00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:14,440
Ray turned up at my house.
618
00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:16,080
[uneasy music playing]
619
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:18,880
Ray said to us,
620
00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:23,840
"Would it bother you if I told you
I'm not a property developer,
621
00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:25,160
I'm an armed robber"?
622
00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:30,280
I was thinking maybe he's winding me up.
623
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:36,240
But he was very sincere.
624
00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:39,840
Very controlled.
625
00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:43,160
And then he says,
626
00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:46,520
"I've come up with a way
to give you some money."
627
00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:50,240
"You provide me with information."
628
00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:52,640
"As a result of that,
629
00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:56,080
I'll be able to give you £250,000."
630
00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:01,080
I felt
631
00:38:01,680 --> 00:38:04,560
a sort of disbelief, if you like,
that it was even happening.
632
00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:10,240
Ray made it clear
633
00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:13,320
that he was very professional,
634
00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:17,280
he led a very trusted team
of armed robbers,
635
00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:21,880
and that everything was planned
down to the last detail,
636
00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:23,320
and nothing could go wrong.
637
00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:30,400
What Ray was suggesting
was that I joined his team
638
00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:31,800
as the inside man,
639
00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:36,000
so that his team commits armed robbery
640
00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:39,280
based on the information
that I was providing.
641
00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:47,680
I didn't like the idea
of committing a crime,
642
00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:52,840
but £250,000 is a lot of money.
643
00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:55,280
- [light string music playing]
- [birds chirping]
644
00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:00,200
[Lee] Ray told me we were gonna
hit the Dome first thing in the morning.
645
00:39:02,720 --> 00:39:04,640
After sort of ten o'clock,
646
00:39:04,720 --> 00:39:06,120
coaches started coming in.
647
00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:09,000
Then it was busy until it closed at night.
648
00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:12,360
[Michael] Inside the Dome,
it was a big, big space.
649
00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:17,040
So, you know,
that area would be moderately quiet.
650
00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:23,680
[Lee] Ray said that at that time,
security guards were absolute shit.
651
00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,720
There was just, like, four or five people
walking around with a walkie-talkie.
652
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:31,960
So, going in at that time in the morning
is the only time it could be done.
653
00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:39,000
[music darkens]
654
00:39:43,560 --> 00:39:45,880
[tense music playing]
655
00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:50,440
[Lee] This is the Millennium Dome.
656
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:57,560
The Dome was built on a peninsula…
so there's just one way out.
657
00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:01,840
The traffic at the time was pretty heavy.
658
00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:03,320
[horns honking]
659
00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:05,200
[Lee] Never gonna get away
with a van or car.
660
00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:07,760
It was just too risky.
661
00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:09,120
[tires screeching]
662
00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:10,840
[sirens wailing]
663
00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:14,560
[Lee] The last robbery didn't work…
664
00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:16,200
- [tires screech]
- [engine revs]
665
00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:17,680
…but the getaway was perfect.
666
00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:22,520
So why don't we use another speedboat?
667
00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:26,640
You're on the Thames, right by the river.
668
00:40:26,720 --> 00:40:27,560
Best thing to use.
669
00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:33,120
Luckily,
670
00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:36,600
Bill Cockram knew a boatman
and spoke to him,
671
00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:38,000
and he got him on board.
672
00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:39,840
[producer] And who was that?
673
00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:44,440
{\an8}[Lee] Kevin Meredith.
674
00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,000
He was quite handy with a speedboat.
675
00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:54,040
So that's the getaway sorted.
676
00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:57,160
So, we're getting close.
677
00:40:57,240 --> 00:40:58,400
[Lee chuckling lightly]
678
00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:00,480
[suspenseful music playing]
679
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:11,120
{\an8}[crow cawing]
680
00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:28,200
[Lee] We were all ready to go.
681
00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:31,880
Everything was in position.
682
00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:37,560
Really thought it'd work.
683
00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:40,280
The plan was
684
00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:42,640
JCB would come along here.
685
00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:46,000
This is where we'd crash through
the side of the Dome.
686
00:41:48,320 --> 00:41:50,600
Drive around the Dome
to the diamond vault.
687
00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:54,960
Bill and Bob would go into the vault,
688
00:41:56,600 --> 00:41:57,760
get the diamonds.
689
00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:00,880
The speedboat was gonna come over to here,
690
00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:03,800
pick everyone up from there.
691
00:42:04,520 --> 00:42:06,640
The speedboat goes
across the Thames to Terry,
692
00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:09,800
and then Terry drives away
with everyone in.
693
00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:11,080
[tires screeching]
694
00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:18,000
And we all live happily ever after.
[chuckles]
695
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:23,560
[producer] This is a huge risk
you're taking, isn't it?
696
00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:27,680
Did you think about the consequences
if it didn't work out?
697
00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:31,520
Um…
698
00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:37,360
I just blocked it out.
699
00:42:41,240 --> 00:42:43,160
I wanted to carry on what we were doing.
700
00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:46,760
- [birds chirping]
- [contemplative music playing]
701
00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:52,320
[Lee] This job
would cement a legacy for me.
702
00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:56,400
And I'd get a lot of respect for doing it.
703
00:42:58,560 --> 00:42:59,480
I'd be someone.
704
00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:01,720
Hi, how's it going?
705
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:02,880
[man laughing]
706
00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:05,800
[Lee] But, uh…
707
00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:09,400
Obviously, I adored my daughters.
708
00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,240
And I wanted to slow down
and start being more responsible.
709
00:43:19,120 --> 00:43:20,240
Go a straight life.
710
00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:23,680
So, I decided to myself,
711
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:27,400
this was gonna be my last job.
712
00:43:31,400 --> 00:43:33,760
Two days' time,
I could be sitting on a lot of money.
713
00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:38,320
Or not. [dry chuckle]
714
00:43:40,520 --> 00:43:43,080
[tense rhythmic music playing]
715
00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:50,960
[man 8] For a crime to take place,
716
00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:55,120
there has to be the mindset
of somebody wants to do it.
717
00:43:56,720 --> 00:43:59,360
There has to be
a target for them to steal.
718
00:44:00,240 --> 00:44:02,880
And there has to be
nobody around to stop them.
719
00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:13,760
But what this gang of criminals didn't
know was that we were following them.
720
00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:18,960
We knew that they were planning
something big.
721
00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:23,200
We just didn't know what the target was
722
00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:25,160
or when they were gonna strike.
723
00:44:25,920 --> 00:44:28,000
But whatever plan they had,
724
00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:31,000
we were gonna be there to stop them.
725
00:44:31,080 --> 00:44:32,560
[closing theme music playing]
726
00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:50,000
[music fades to silence]