Dome raiders 'had nail gun'

The Dome raiders used a gunpowder-powered nail gun capable of penetrating one-inch thick solid steel, in their attempt to pull off "the robbery of the millennium", the Old Bailey was told today.

The black gun was shown to the jury by Martin Heslop, prosecuting, on the third day of the trial of six men accused of planning the £200million diamond robbery. He described it as "very effective" for firing nails into concrete and solid steel.

"It holds 10 cartridge nails and has a gunpowder explosive to drive the nails into the base material. It can penetrate up to one inch of solid steel. The armoured glass in the vault of the Dome was three quarters of an inch thick," said Mr Heslop.

Holding up the gun in front of the jury he added: "That is the gun William Cockran used to fire nails in the vault on 7 November last year."

The gun was bought for £762 cash at a shop in Great Suffolk Street, Southwark, by Terence Millman, two months before the attempted robbery.

There was no haggling and Millman, who was arrested but died before being able to stand trial, gave a false name and address. The gang also bought nails varying between three inches and an inch and a half long.

The court has been told that in a meticulouslyplanned raid the gang smashed their way into the Dome past terrified visitors at 9.30 in the morning aboard a customised bulldozer. They wore body armour, carried gas masks, smoke grenades, ammonia, sledge-hammers, wire-cutters and sophisticated radios and scanners to intercept police messages.

Their target was the flawless Millennium Star gem and 11 blue diamonds owned by De Beers, which were on show in a heavily fortified vault in the Money Zone. However the police, who had been tracking the robbers for four months, caught the raiders "absolutely redhanded" inside the vault.

Mr Heslop has told the jury that had the raiders succeeded "it would have ranked in terms of value as the biggest robbery ever in the world and could properly be described as the robbery of the millennium".

Today he told how the gang carried out trials on two speedboats at Whitstable, Kent, to determine which would be the most reliable for their getaway. On the day of the robbery a boat was moored at a pier next to the Dome to carry the gang and the diamonds across the Thames to where a van was ready to drive them to a safe house.

In the dock are Cockran, 48, of Catford, Kevin Meredith, 35, of Brighton, Aldo Ciarocchi, 31, of Bermondsey, Wayne Taylor, 35, of Tonbridge, and Ray Betson, 39, and Robert Adams, 57, both of no fixed address. They have all pleaded not guilty to conspiracy with others to rob between July and November last year.

The case continues.