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Jon Shatford is a former Detective Chief Superintendent and one of Scotland Yard’s most respected investigators. Between 1988 and 2001, he led the Flying Squad, a specialist unit within the Metropolitan Police focused on armed robberies and major heists.
His most notable achievement came in November 2000, when he directed Operation Magician, a covert mission that successfully foiled a planned over £200 million raid on the De Beers diamond exhibition at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich.
The plot involved a group of men attempting to breach the Dome using a stolen JCB and escape via a speedboat across the River Thames. As per a CBS News report dated November 7, 2000, the robbers were unaware that the diamonds had been replaced with replicas the day before the heist.
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According to a met.police.uk report, Jon Shatford ran the entire 200-officer operation from inside the Dome’s CCTV control room, ultimately leading to multiple arrests without any casualties. This case is revisited in The Diamond Heist on Netflix, a docuseries directed by Jesse Vile and executive-produced by Guy Ritchie, released on April 16, 2025.
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Jon Shatford led the operation from the Dome’s CCTV room and was later praised by the judge
Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Shatford was instrumental in orchestrating one of the most complex and successful police operations in the history of Scotland Yard. As the head of the Flying Squad from 1988 to 2001, Shatford supervised Operation Magician, a months-long investigation that foiled a £200 million attempted robbery at the Millennium Dome.
On November 7, 2000, a group of offenders tried to take the De Beers diamond collection, featuring the 203-carat Millennium Star, in an attempted robbery.
According to met.police.uk, Shatford ran the entire operation from a police command centre set up in the Dome’s CCTV control room. Disguised officers had been embedded across the site, some posing as janitors and others hidden behind false walls. As quoted in the CBS News report dated November 7, 2000, Jon Shatford later said at a press briefing:
“When they entered the vault they imprisoned themselves for us.”
He was later commended by the judge for his precise handling of the operation, which resulted in no civilian injuries and all suspects captured at the scene.
The heist plan and execution
The gang, led by Lee Wenham, Raymond Betson, and William Cockram, planned the heist for months. As per crimeandinvestigation.co.uk, they intended to breach the Millennium Dome using a stolen JCB digger, break into the high-security diamond vault, and escape across the River Thames using a speedboat.
Surveillance footage and witness accounts revealed that Betson drove the JCB, while Cockram and Robert Adams used nail guns and sledgehammers to try and penetrate the bulletproof glass housing the gems. Aldo Ciarrocchi deployed smoke bombs to confuse security.
However, police intelligence had been tracking the group for weeks, and the Flying Squad anticipated the gang’s movements by studying the Thames tidal patterns. Police substituted the diamonds with replicas the night before. The CBS News report confirmed:
“They didn’t manage to remove the diamonds from the stand. There was major security there,” quoting De Beers spokesman Andy Bone.
As per The Sun report dated April 4, 2025, the operation deployed over 200 officers, including armed teams positioned in concealed spots and disguised as staff working inside the Millennium Dome.
The suspects were swiftly taken into custody right after they broke into the display area. One was caught in a running speedboat; others were apprehended near the pier and at additional safe houses in Kent. No weapons were discharged, and the public remained unharmed.
Legal outcome and Netflix retelling
The case proceeded to trial in 2001. According to met.police.uk, on February 18, 2002, Cockram and Betson received 18-year sentences (later reduced to 15), while Ciarrocchi and Adams were each sentenced to 15 years. Kevin Meredith, the speedboat pilot, received a five-year sentence for conspiracy to steal.
Lee Wenham was sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted of conspiring to steal. The full story will now be revisited in The Diamond Heist on Netflix, a three-part documentary series co-executive-produced by Guy Ritchie and directed by Jesse Vile.
The series features first-hand accounts from law enforcement and members of the gang, providing an in-depth look into how Jon Shatford and his team averted what would have been a record-breaking theft. As per the sfgate.com report dated November 8, 2000, Jon Shatford remarked at the time:
“If this had been carried out in accordance with their wishes, this would have been the largest robbery in the world,”
In The Diamond Heist on Netflix, viewers will see how the intelligence and planning of Jon Shatford's team played a central role in bringing down a criminal enterprise.
Stay tuned for more updates.
