3 weeks Ago By Daisy Phillipson
The Diamond Heist reveals what happened to main players Lee Wenham and Ray Betson after the Millennium Dome raid, but what about the rest of the gang? Guy Ritchie served as executive producer on the Netflix docu-series, and his fingerprints are all over it. From the stylized reenactments to the slick editing and sharp storytelling, it has all the hallmarks of a classic British gangster movie – except this story actually happened. As told in The Diamond Heist, a real group of career criminals tried to steal £350 million in diamonds from the Millennium Dome in 2000, only to be brought down by a determined team of detectives.
And in true Ritchie fashion, each gang member gets a nickname to match their role: Bob Adams, The Builder; Bill Cockram, The Muscle; Aldo Ciarrocchi, The Technician; Terry Millman, The Experience; and Kevin Meredith, The Boatman. Where are the Diamond Heist gang now? Lee Wenham, who provided their base in Kent, and Ray Betson, the gang leader, are both now out of prison and leading regular lives. As for the rest of the gang, find out below: In 2002, Adams was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the Millennium Dome heist.
He was 57 years old at the time, and had no fixed address. According to reports , Adams died in prison that same year from a heart attack. The reason he was brought in was due to his experience working as a handyman.
As Wenham explains in The Diamond Heist, “We needed someone to get into the diamond cases.” This wasn’t his first time breaking the law. His wife, Ruby Adams, told the Sunday Mirror that he had a “vicious streak”.
After having two children, Dawn and Robert Jr, together, she moved the family into her mom’s home. One night, Adams allegedly stabbed her. Although she lived to tell the tale, it was the last the family saw of him before the Millennium Dome scandal hit the news.
Related Netflix addresses American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden delay with disappointing update Cockram was initially sentenced to 18 years for his role in the raid, having used the nail gun to weaken the protective glass surrounding De Beers’ diamond collection. However, this was later reduced to 15 years on appeal. At the time of his sentencing, the Londoner was 49 years old.
The reason for his selection is because they needed “someone who could handle things if it got rough.” Cockram was Betson’s right-hand man and was known for his strength, making him the ideal candidate to be their “muscle.” In 2006, he sued the Met Police for £50,000, accusing them of assault and “trespass to the person” after the heist and his subsequent capture left him with a black eye.
He claimed an officer fractured his cheekbone with a gun butt. Although he was given legal aid to fund the lawsuit, it’s unclear whether he won any damages. Since his release from prison, he’s lived his life under the radar, seemingly staying out of trouble.
Ciarrocchi is the youngest of the crew, having been just 32 years old when he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the heist, which was later reduced to 12 years on appeal. He’s another of the Millennium Dome robbers who’s turned his life around since his release. In 2023, The Times reported that Ciarrocchi is now married to Elisabeth, who he shares two daughters with: Piera and Isabella.
But the reason they hit the headlines has nothing to do with crime, but rather due to their business renovating homes. After transforming their London home from a former factory into a film location, they turned a Norfolk-based skate park into a holiday house. This is a very different lifestyle to his younger years, with Wenham explaining in the new true crime docu-series that they brought Ciarrocchi to deal with the “technical side of things.
” He was younger and a bit of a ladies man, with Wenham saying you’d never expect him to “be into doing things like this.” However, having known Ray and Bill from London, he agreed to jump on board. Although this isn’t shared in the Netflix doc , Millman actually died on July 13, 2001, while out on bail – just four months before his trial was due to begin.
According to reports at the time, he died from stomach cancer. As Wenham describes, they needed someone with experience in crime and Millman was a “proper East End gangster.” However, he also said he was a “f**king nightmare.
” You see, he was involved in a drunk driving incident, which alerted the authorities to his activities. Rather than arresting him, they let Millman walk and tracked his every move, which led them to the farm where the gang were planning the heist. As he didn’t directly have involvement in the robbery and had no criminal record, Meredith was only given five years for his involvement.
The Brighton-based boat driver was just 34 years old at the time of his sentencing. Meredith was brought on to drive the speedboat on the River Thames, allowing the gang to escape after the heist. However, the police intercepted the robbery and he was apprehended.
In 2002, the UK’s Prison Service launched an investigation into claims that Meredith took a number of his jailers on fishing trips while out on bail, as per Teesside Times . Much like Cockram, he’s stayed out of the spotlight since being released from prison. The Diamond Heist is streaming on Netflix now.
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