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Lee Wenham was one of the prime perpetrators behind the Millennium Dome raid. This was an attempted robbery committed on November 7, 2000, to steal from the De Beers diamond exhibit, which was taking place in Greenwich, South East England.
Reportedly, the gang members wanted to primarily steal the Millennium Star Diamond, which is estimated to be worth £200 million. Lee Wenham and his gang planned to escape after the robbery with a speedboat on the River Thames.
However, the gang members were caught by the Flying Squad from the Metropolitan Police Service after receiving intel from Kent Police.
Lee Wenham was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of attempted robbery. As reported by The Telegraph, Lee Wenham currently runs a landscaping business, staying away from the life of crime. Wenham wrote a book named Diamond Ganster, which is based on his personal experiences.
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Wehman is the subject of Netflix's docuseries The Diamond Heist, which is set to release on April 16, 2025.
What is the story of Lee Wenham?
As reported by the Telegraph, Wenham was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. He dropped out of school at 12 and started getting involved in petty crimes, like his father. Reportedly, Lee Wenham came from a family of gypsies, who were involved in the crime underworld.
As reported by the Telegraph, Wenham revealed that one of his primary motives in getting involved with crimes was to prove himself among his family members. He said,
“Obviously, I wanted to impress them. They’d all been there and done it and earned their stripes, shall we say. And so I had to earn mine,” he says. “Coming up to these robberies, it was a chance to make a name for myself.”
The Millennium Dome Raid was not successful
While talking to the Telegraph, Lee Wenham revealed that before making the heist, he thought the value of gems would sum up to $40 million to a great extent. However, he only realised their true value after he was convicted by law enforcement for the crime.
As per the BBC, the total worth of gems from De Beers amounted to $350 million at that time. It would have become one of the biggest heists to be committed in history.
As reported by the Metropolitan Police, it was during the summer of 2000 that the Flying Squad from the Metropolitan Police first received intelligence about the possibility of a robbery.
For the next few months, the police formed a crew, which was focused on tracking down the primary locations where the heist could take place.
The authorities named the operation Operation Magician. As reported by the Metropolitan Police, the location of the robbery was eventually tracked down to the Millennium Dome in the city of Greenwich.
It was in September 2000 when investigators detected three primary suspects, who included Lee Wenham along with Raymond Betson, and William Cockram.
As reported by the Museum Association, the gems in the Dome were replaced with replicas as a method of precaution by the Flying Squad. Two unsuccessful raid attempts in October 2000, as reported by the Metropolitan Police.
It was on November 7, 2000, that the authorities of Operation Magician, led by Detective Superintendent Jon Shatford, were stationed at the Millennium Dome. Reportedly, a total of 200 officers were present in the security and surveillance, as part of the operation.
As reported by The Telegraph, four men wearing body armour, and equipped with sledge sledgehammer, nail gun, and smoke gun, entered the premises. Another man waited on a speedboat on the Thames to escape the robbery.
However, all the perpetrators were arrested before they could break the glass cases, where the diamonds were on display.
As reported by the Telegraph, seven of the gang members were sentenced to a total of 80 years combined imprisonment.
What happened to Lee Wenham?
As reported by The Telegraph, Lee Wenham pleaded guilty to his involvement in the crime. As a result, he was sentenced to nine years in prison. Wenham revealed that at the time of his sentencing, his two daughters were in primary school. He said:
“I thought about it a lot then, and I thought about what I would be leaving behind at home.”
Lee Wenham revealed that he was cheered by the prison inmates for committing an audacious raid. As per the Telegraph, Wenham has avoided his life of crime after twenty years of receiving his bail. Lee Wenham currently resides in Kent County in South England.
As mentioned in the intro, Lee Wenham currently runs a Landscaping Business. He has a small diamond tattoo on his right wrist, which he says is a little reminder to stay away from the life of crime.
Check out our other articles to learn more details about Netflix's The Diamond Heist.
