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http://youtu.be/rJH3zNq_fpA
(KaranlikDalalar2/YouTube)
GREAT TRAIN ROBBER Ronnie Biggs, whose escape from jail and decades spent on the run made him one of Britain’s most notorious criminals, died today at the age of 84, media reports said.
Biggs had suffered a series of strokes in recent years and was at the time of his death being cared for in a home in north London, according to the Press Association and Sky News, who reported his death quoting unnamed sources.
Great Train Robbery
The coaches of the train involved in the 2.5 million mail robbery – the “Great Train Robbery”. Pic: PA/PA Archive
The gang stole the equivalent of £45 million (€52 million) in today’s money from a mail train travelling from Glasgow to London 50 years ago.
The crime itself was audacious enough, but it was Biggs’ 36 years on the run and his high-profile new life in Brazil which propelled him to fame.
He escaped from prison in 1965 and was finally arrested and thrown back in jail in 2001 on his voluntary return to Britain.
While the train robbers’ exploits have passed into folklore, many people deplore the almost forgotten fate of the driver, Jack Mills.
He was coshed over the head by another member of the gang, never recovered from his head injuries and died seven years later.
The driver had stopped the train at a remote bridge at Ledburn in Buckinghamshire, northwest of London, after seeing a red signal – but it was fake, created using a glove and a battery-powered light.
Once Mills was incapacitated, the gang uncoupled the engine and the first two carriages and a human chain of robbers removed 120 sacks containing 2.5 tonnes of cash.
The crew left in the rest of the train did not realise anything had happened until it was too late.
But the plan unravelled when the gang members abandoned plans to lie low for several weeks and instead fled from the farmhouse they had rented. The police, tipped off by a neighbour, rounded up many of them.
Nine of the 16 involved went on trial in 1964 and each was given 30 years in jail, although most did not serve out the whole sentence.
Biggs escaped from London’s Wandsworth prison in a furniture van 15 months later. He fled to continental Europe in a boat then underwent plastic surgery in Paris.
He spent four years on the run in Australia but fled again to Brazil in 1970. He was tracked down but could not be extradited as he had fathered a Brazilian child.
From his base in Rio de Janeiro he taunted the British police, aided by the British tabloids who lapped up his roguish tales.
When he voluntarily returned to Britain in May 2001, he was re-imprisoned before being released on compassionate grounds in 2009.
There were a number of unmarked squad cars travelling at high speed from the Swords direction arounf 9am. The Garda helicopter then hovered for about 15 minutes around the entrance to Malahide Castle – with a lot of Garda activity on the ground. One of the neighbours heard they were in pursuit of a vehicle that had come down the Swords Road/M1 southbound. This may not be connected! But hopefully the Gardai caught what they were looking for.
Different incident apparently. Kidnapping / Post Office hold up in Malahide apparently.
Thanks for the speculation and non relevant information Paul… one of the neighbours heard that they were in pursuit of a vehicle… was this person sherlock holmes? Because the powers of deduction are amazing.. wait a god darn minute – are you Watson… ah now i see. Sure Look.
Shut up gabbi ya big fat knob
Elementary my dear gabbi elementary
With a bit of luck one of those nice thugs from one gang decreased the membership of the rival gang.
There are always 2 or 3 or 4 more to ready step into the dead mans shoes.
Traveller drug fued
Bullsh!t the guys name was Benny Whitehouse .
Just more of your lot killing each other
Third time they tried to kill this guy. Outside a primary school. Scary scary stuff.
Is it just me or has Dublin been a lot more of a kip than usual these last few days?
Not all people in Balbriggan are like that there’s descent people too, we do agree with some of the things your saying, but Balbriggan people would bend over backwards to help you
Lived on Clonard Street 2 years ago. Nice street to live on, nice neighbours, nice mix of all ages live on the street. Not overly shocked at shootings anymore. Would be very wrong to assume all people who live in Balbriggan are behaving like this. The town does have its problems (which have worsened as a result of the economic crisis). Unlike Skerries, Balbriggan is ignored as it’s mainly a working class town. Badly hit by the recessions of the 80′s & today.
No great loss, skum
Jesus, there’s more shootings every day!
You don’t get shot for no reason. Let them shoot each other all day long once the don’t hit an innocent by stander in the process.
And drug hauls…
Yes true but this one was a domestic! he didn’t put the bins out last night!
The problem buzz is that they regularly hit innocent people or target the wrong person in a case of mistaken identity
I wouldn’t say regularly, to be fair they are few and far between but very regrettable nonetheless.
Disagree there pal .. Anthony Campbell, Shane Geoghegan to name a few!! Let’s wait to judge!
Buzzbaron, what about the old people on the street that have to witness a dead man on the street. It that ok? Once they don’t get shot themselves?
It’s not okay for these gangsters to shoot each other on the street.
While I don’t feel any sympathy for them, good riddance tbh, any risk to an innocent person is unacceptable.
This has Nidge written all over it.
I remember balbriggan in the 80s and 90s nice little town. Then the motorway came and the Celtic tiger and then it all went down hill. It will be like Watts LA soon.
The lack of respect for the law & normal tax paying citizens shown by these marauding traveller gangs is nauseating and mark my words it’s worse it’s going to get. It’s going to big a big problem for this country in the next 10 years if the gun laws are not changed in favour of the law abiding citizens of this country.
This had nothing to do with travellers just your ordinary garden variety settled scu mbag
Your beloved Benny was a traveller
Do as you likey denying one of there own no surprise there
your photo shows a few bushes
this is Clonard Street
Bobo burns Your photo only shows the beginning of Clonard Street. It’s quite clear you have never been.
That’s a bizarre assumption John. I live 2 minutes away. The original photograph was of a small laneway before it was changed.
Another fatal shooting in Dublin, it’s all too regular these days.
That Balbriggan must be an awful dangerous place. You can’t even drop your children to school without being shot
Is this gangland or feud related?
Does it have to be mutually exclusive
Feud it is so. It was my first suspicion.
I was sure the Commissioner only said yesterday the increase in murders and firearms crime wasn’t related to organised criminal activity?
You need to research the difference between an event and a trend…
The houses on the left had a woman murdered in them a few years ago . Her husband pushed her down the stairs and then pretended he had drowned, he turned up in a bar in Spain.
Now people who live there, nice area, nice people. The way of the world now i guess.
Its like the wild west in Dublin ..
Fat andy gets revenge!!!!!
No names yet.
Another traveller bites the dust. Small loss
CSI Dublin strikes yet again. The shock factor of murder is completely gone these days.
Right beside my house
Benny Whitehouse rip
Anyone know they name of the person who was shot
It shouldn’t be discussed on here, he has a family regardless of who he is, they should be informed by proper means before stumbling across news of his death online.
My money is on Brian O’Reilly
Rte reporting that he was a traveller
No there not
Nidge ordered it..
have your say