LONDON – Police on Tuesday charged an eighth person in connection with Britain's largest bank heist.
Garage owner Roger Lloyd Coutts, 29, of south London, was charged with conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to kidnap, Kent police spokesman Dougal Bell said.
A gang of armed robbers bound employees and stole 53 million pounds (US$96 million; euro77 million) on Feb. 22 from Securitas Cash Management Ltd., a Bank of England cash depot in Tonbridge, England, 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of London. The robbers gained access by abducting the bank manager, his wife and son while posing as police officers.
Police also have charged five other men and two women with offenses in connection with the theft, including kidnapping, conspiracy to commit robbery and handling stolen goods.
During the raid, the thieves stopped a Securitas manager, 51-year-old Colin Dixon, as he drove home from the depot near the Channel Tunnel, police said.
A second group went to Dixon's home, telling his wife, Lynn, 45, he had been in an accident and taking her away with the couple's 9-year-old son. The gang threatened the family, but released them unhurt after the raid.
Police have recovered 19.7 million pounds (euro28.7 million; US$34.1 million) of the stolen money, but would not say if the recent arrest of Coutts had netted any more.
On Sunday police arrested British citizen Lee Murray, 26, in Rabat, Morocco, in connection with the robbery, but he hasn't been formally charged. British officials are seeking his extradition.
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