Andy
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Post by Andy on Feb 15, 2019 12:50:08 GMT
It’s odd how come that Baker Street job never seems to crop up in true crime docs etc.
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Feb 19, 2019 5:19:41 GMT
It’s odd how come that Baker Street job never seems to crop up in true crime docs etc. This is true Andy. First I heard of it was the when the film The Bank Job came out. It's obviously very sensitive info .
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Feb 19, 2019 7:35:41 GMT
It’s odd how come that Baker Street job never seems to crop up in true crime docs etc. This is true Andy. First I heard of it was the when the film The Bank Job came out. It's obviously very sensitive info . The Baker St Bank job features in considerable detail (including photos) in a booked entitled "Armed Robbery" by Wensley Clarkson. Though the book fails to mention anything about the theft of sensitive information, and also that the Radio Amateur who mistakenly tuned in to the broadcasts and reported it to the Police - was later Arrested using some archaic Radio/Broadcast law - and after a short while, all charges against him were mysteriously dropped and it all went quiet.
The story was that a group of top London villains had been recruited by the UK Government to break in to the vaults, and steal sensitive information - this being photos of a Royal Family member in a compromising situation. Held in a safety deposit box by a top ranking criminal. They were (alleged) promised immunity, new I.Ds and a path out of the UK pretty quickly - as well as being able to take whatever else they took.
Would have made a great "Sweeney" story....
Maybe in the 70s, it was still too hot - and so was left alone.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Feb 19, 2019 13:02:36 GMT
From the mailonline article-
"Despite massive interest in the crime, details about the loot and the criminals responsible were immediately suppressed by MI5 and senior government officials. Speculation quickly arose that compromising sexual photographs of the Queen's sister, the late Princess Margaret, had been uncovered in the bank vault. It was rumoured they had been stashed away by well-known underworld figure Michael X. A drug dealer and Black Power leader, he was convicted of murder and hanged in Trinidad in 1975. A government file on him will remain closed until 2054."
Upon X's murder charge, John Lennon paid for him to be represented by a leading civil rights lawyer. There is a clip on yt of him & Lennon apparently swapping a pair of Muhammed Ali's shorts for a lock of Lennon's recently cut hair.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Feb 19, 2019 13:52:17 GMT
Micheal X file closed 'till 2054?
I read recently, there are still "D Notices" on much of the files surrounding the activities of Ronnie Kray and Lord Boothby. Despite both it all happening over 50 years ago, and both parties being dead.
Also - certain files on the "Great Train Robbery" are still closed too.
I never linked "Night Out" and the "Baker Street" robbery..... (I'll wake up one day)
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Feb 19, 2019 14:02:08 GMT
Interesting that there is a D notice on Ronnie Kray. That is possibly why they got away with it as long as they did, the Krays were involved with two MPs, Boothby (Tory) and Tom Driberg (Labour) Both were complete perverts and the risk of scandal was why both parties kept quiet about it, say the Tories went public over Driberg, Labour would immediately respond with Boothby, who it was rumoured was also having a simultaneous affair with the then prime minister, Harold Macmillan’s wife, so it was in both parties interests to cover it up.
The Sunday Mirror latched onto the twins and ran a story about them in the early 60s, but were told to pull it by the government, and I believe, the police were warned off them for a while too.
There was quite an interesting documentary a year or a year or two ago on, I think, channel 4 called The Gangster and the The pervert Peer about this.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Feb 19, 2019 14:17:21 GMT
Interesting that there is a D notice on Ronnie Kray. That is possibly why they got away with it as long as they did, the Krays were involved with two MPs, Boothby (Tory) and Tom Driberg (Labour) Both were complete perverts and the risk of scandal was why both parties kept quiet about it, say the Tories went public over Driberg, Labour would immediately respond with Boothby, who it was rumoured was also having a simultaneous affair with the then prime minister, Harold Macmillan’s wife, so it was in both parties interests to cover it up. The Sunday Mirror latched onto the twins and ran a story about them in the early 60s, but were told to pull it by the government, and I believe, the police were warned off them for a while too. There was quite an interesting documentary a year or a year or two ago on, I think, channel 4 called The Gangster and the The pervert Peer about this. I read it was only the files surrounding the "business activities" between Mr Kray / Boothby and (as you say) Driberg. A Book of Fred Foremans (always worth a read) also mentioned the D-notices.
Talking of books - "You're Nicked", "The Real Sweeney" and "Villains" by Dick Kirby are worthy reads; as they could be books written by Regan himself! These are based around the Flying Squad during the 70s and 80s. Also, it highlights how authentic "The Sweeney" was.
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Post by Dirty Epic on Feb 20, 2019 9:18:21 GMT
The Bank Job wasn't a bad movie about all this stuff (allegedly) involving Michael X, Princess Margaret, John Bindon etc. even if Jason Statham (to be fair he was good in this) and some 2000's traffic scenes were in it. LOL!
This ITV documentary from roughly around that time about John Bindon was also pretty good too.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Feb 20, 2019 10:54:13 GMT
Strangely, in view of the interesting background to the episode, Night Out is one of my least favourite episodes. In fact it's the only one in series 1 I'm not keen on.
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Del Boy
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Post by Del Boy on Feb 20, 2019 20:16:55 GMT
You're not alone there Carty. Several others have expressed that view on this episode. I really like this one It's got a bit of banter between T.P.McKenna and Regan it flows well and features the best Sweeney pub.
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