Brink’s-Mat robber Mick ‘The Nutter’ McAvoy dies aged 71

Brink’s-Mat robber Micky McAvoy has died aged 71 just months soon after his wife handed absent from cancer.

McAvoy, dubbed ‘The Nutter’, was portion of the prison gang which stole £26million truly worth of gold ingots, diamond and money in the ‘crime of the century’ following raiding the warehouse at Heathrow Airport in 1983.

The job legal, who was identified as just one of the country’s  most prolific and violent armed robbers, performed a key purpose in 1 of the major bullion heists in British historical past. 

McAvoy experienced suffered from cancer and handed away on New Year’s Eve at his Bromley flat in south east London, exactly where he lived alone, the Sun experiences.

Brink’s-Mat robber Micky McAvoy has died aged 71 just months following his spouse passed absent from most cancers. Pictured: The crime scene at Heathrow Airport in 1983

Police had prolonged suspected McAvoy was continue to active in criminal circles through his time in prison, with a single informant suggesting he was involved in a drug-smuggling plot. 

In his last days, McAvoy was explained to have been having difficulties financially just after devoting himself to caring for his ailing spouse, Kathy who died from most cancers just 6 months back. 

The pair wed in jail in 1987, a few years following McAvoy was sentenced to 25 decades behind bars for his part in the Brink’s-Mat robbery. 

At the time of his most lucrative crime, McAvoy was just 30, and the youngest of the gang of 6 robbers who masterminded the Brink-Mat heist on November 26, 1983.

McAvoy used his portray and decorator occupation as a front, but was acknowledged to Scotland Garden and was even part of their 20-robust databases on London’s most prolific armed robbers. 

Just three decades before the Heathrow heist, McAvoy was involved in one more main robbery right after building off with additional than £811,000 in dollars right after ramming a crane into a Brink’s-Mat van in London. 

He, alongside with his prison accomplices, ended up suspected of a string of other significant-profile crimes in the cash in the course of their heyday.

Ex-Scotland Garden chief Roy Ramm informed the Solar: ‘McAvoy was just one of the most violent and prolific robbers of his technology.

‘He was feared amongst his peers and had been a top rated target of Scotland Property for a long time.

‘When he was eventually imprisoned for Brink’s-Mat there was a perception of a position properly completed and aid.’

Tributes for the job legal poured in on social media, which includes just one heartfelt article by Tyson Fury’s uncle who posted on Instagram: ‘My correct friend gave up his fight past night to be with his loving wife Kathy. 

‘Your [sic] collectively now, like you both further than lifestyle, until eventually we stroll alongside one another once again. Micky McAvoy RIP.’

During the Brink’s-Mat theft, Brian ‘The Colonel’ Robinson was joined by his brother-in-regulation Anthony Black and associate Michael McAvoy and three other individuals as they raided the warehouse at Heathrow airport. 

The gang produced worldwide headlines afterstealing 6,800 gold ingots, diamonds and income which would be value perfectly about £100million today. 

The assets belonged to safety corporation Brink’s Mat and the robbers had been there since they realized there was £3million in hard cash tucked away inside of the vault. 

Safety guard Anthony Black, had pre-warned them about the hard cash and even opened the door of the warehouse to enable the criminals in.

The gang tied up the guards and poured petrol about them, threatening to mild it if they did not comply.

About the decades, with significantly less than fifty percent of the Brink’s-Mat gold recovered, an incredible variety of McAvoy’s felony associates have been murdered or disappeared.

It is approximated that a lot more than 20 people with some kind of relationship to the robbery have been killed, as Britain’s felony underworld turned on itself in a desperate try to find the gold – most of which has never ever been identified. 

McAvoy’s share of the £26million loot was later on stolen when he was locked up, with police suspecting he requested the contract killing of the male entrusted to guard his loot.

His dying comes as a 6-element BBC drama on the Brink’s-Mat heist is because of to be broadcast later this 12 months.

The Gold will comply with the decades-extensive chain of occasions that adopted what has been described as ‘the criminal offense of the century’ and air throughout six episodes on BBC 1 and Paramount+ globally. 

The Brink’s Mat heist: How robbers pulled off the ‘crime of the century’

Shortly immediately after 6.40am on November 26, 1983, six armed gentlemen in balaclavas – which include a single sporting a Trilby – entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport. 

The residence belonged to safety enterprise Brink’s Mat and the robbers were there mainly because they realized there was £3million in income in the vault. They understood because their inside of male, security guard Anthony Black, had informed them. He even opened the doorway of the warehouse to let them in.

Led by Black’s brother-in-law, Brian Robinson, and Trilby-clad Michael ‘Micky’ McAvoy, the gang tied up the guards and poured petrol in excess of them, threatening to gentle it if they did not comply.

Many thanks to Black, they were capable to establish the two most senior guards who, involving them, held the keys and mix quantities for the vault the place three safes ended up situated.

Within was additional than three tonnes of gold bullion. Packed into additional than 70 cardboard packing containers had been practically 7,000 gold bars. Another person had to fetch the van.

Weighed down by a heap of gold, the van idled its way out of Heathrow just after just one of the robbers wished the stability guards a merry Xmas.  

It didn’t get the law enforcement very long to link Black to the raid and he soon implicated Robinson and McAvoy (who punched Black when he went to detect him in a police line-up).

Shortly after 6.40am on November 26, 1983, 6 armed guys in balaclavas – such as a person carrying a Trilby – entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport

The pair hadn’t accurately laid lower soon after the theft, paying funds on house in Kent. It was rumoured McAvoy experienced acquired two rottweilers to guard his new house and named them Brinks and Mat.

The two ended up later sentenced to 25 years in prison. Black was sentenced to 6 many years. Thieving the gold had been somewhat effortless. The bigger problem was providing it.

The robbers turned to crime manager Kenneth Noye, who, along with another criminal, Brian Reader, taken care of the gold. It was routinely taken to a smelting business around Bristol the place it was combined with copper and brass to search like scrap gold.

About £13millon-truly worth was disposed of in this way. The movement of funds through a regional lender quickly aroused the suspicion of the Financial institution of England and surveillance functions of acknowledged villains began.

Noye appeared in court in 1986 soon after police located 11 gold bars well worth £100,000 on his premises. He was located responsible of handling the Brink’s Mat gold and was sentenced to 14 decades in jail. 

He is currently serving time in prison for the 1996 roadrage killing of 21-year-old Stephen Cameron on the M25 in Kent. 

Only two of the gang that entered the warehouse were being at any time convicted of the crime but there had been increased repercussions.

It is estimated that extra than 20 people today with some sort of connection to the robbery have been killed, as Britain’s legal underworld turned on alone. 

Meanwhile Reader, Noye’s former ideal-hand man, was the ringleader guiding the £14million Hatton Backyard garden jewellery raid. He was sentenced to 6 a long time and 3 months in jail very last month.