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Ex security guard Eddie Maher admits £1.2m theft Ex security guard Eddie Maher admits £1.2m theft
(35 minutes later)
A man who spent almost 20 years on the run in the US has admitted stealing a security van containing £1.2m in Suffolk.A man who spent almost 20 years on the run in the US has admitted stealing a security van containing £1.2m in Suffolk.
Eddie Maher, 57, had been wanted by police since the Securicor van he was driving disappeared from outside Lloyds Bank, Felixstowe, on 22 January 1993.Eddie Maher, 57, had been wanted by police since the Securicor van he was driving disappeared from outside Lloyds Bank, Felixstowe, on 22 January 1993.
He was arrested in Missouri in February 2012.He was arrested in Missouri in February 2012.
Maher, originally of South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, entered a last-minute guilty plea at Southwark Crown Court.Maher, originally of South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, entered a last-minute guilty plea at Southwark Crown Court.
He had driven off in the Securicor van, with £1,172,500 in cash inside, from outside Lloyds Bank. On the day of the theft he had been on a delivery run with colleague Peter Bunn, who was responsible for carrying cash from the van to the bank.
False identities Van 'disappeared'
The empty van was found near the town's seafront and the money transferred to two getaway cars. Prosecutor Richard Southern QC said: "Mr Bunn recalls that when they arrived in Felixstowe the bank was not open and he had to wait a while.
Police still do not know how Maher pulled off the theft and managed to get out of the country. "Once inside he was delayed and tried to contact Mr Maher to tell him.
In the US he used the false identities of Stephen King and his brother Michael Maher while on the run and intended to fight the allegation on the grounds he had been forced to commit the crime after racking up "significant debts". "He could not make contact but was not at that point concerned because the radio signal was variable.
But Suffolk Police and the Crown Prosecution Service built up evidence proving that the former soldier and firefighter had profited to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds. "It was not until he came out of the bank that he found the van had disappeared."
During his time on the run, Maher, whose crime led to him being dubbed "Fast Eddie", built a new life in the US. It is thought Maher drove the van to nearby Landguard Point where he got into its secure area and loaded about 30 sacks of cash into a stolen getaway vehicle.
After his conviction, detectives revealed details of a series of property investments they say he funded from the proceeds of the crime. He used false identities while on the run and built a new life in the US.
This included a house in Colorado bought with 120,000 US dollars in cash just six months after the theft.
Later Maher built a ranch on 80 acres in Colorado before moving around various US states.
At the time of his arrest on 9 February 2012, he was working as a cable engineer in Missouri.At the time of his arrest on 9 February 2012, he was working as a cable engineer in Missouri.
But his attempts to escape justice unravelled as he was arrested for illegally possessing firearms. 'Found on Google'
When US authorities contacted their UK counterparts about immigration issues, it became clear he was a wanted man. David Nathan QC, mitigating, said: "It does take a degree of courage to face up to an offence as old as this."
'No remorse' He added: "An extraordinary aspect of this case is Mr Maher's daughter-in-law had originally been the partner of his son Lee's best friend.
"Lee won a lot of money on the lottery and she left her partner to marry Lee.
"When the money ran out, she did a little research on Google on the name Maher and found out he was wanted for the theft back in 1993.
"She heard that there was a reward and she went to the federal authorities."
He added that shortly before his arrest, Maher had visited a local police station to bail Lee King out after he was arrested for a motoring offence.
"He was told by one of the local officers that there was a rumour he was wanted for an offence in the UK," Mr Nathan added.
"He took the children and his partner to a hotel, no doubt with the intention of fleeing but thought better of it.
"He took his younger son to school and then was arrested the following day."
'Looking over shoulder'
Speaking outside court, Det Insp David Giles, from Suffolk Police, said: "Maher said he was forced to carry out this crime and that he only got a small amount of money from it.Speaking outside court, Det Insp David Giles, from Suffolk Police, said: "Maher said he was forced to carry out this crime and that he only got a small amount of money from it.
"He never named the people who he claimed forced him into it and never put forward a credible story."He never named the people who he claimed forced him into it and never put forward a credible story.
"We have succeeded in proving that he profited substantially from the theft and was a key player in the planning and execution of it."We have succeeded in proving that he profited substantially from the theft and was a key player in the planning and execution of it.
"Since his arrest, he has displayed no remorse for what he did - but I get the impression he has spent 20 years looking over his shoulder and hoping the law would not catch up with him.""Since his arrest, he has displayed no remorse for what he did - but I get the impression he has spent 20 years looking over his shoulder and hoping the law would not catch up with him."
Maher's partner, Deborah Brett, 47; Maher's sister Margaret Francis, 64, and a 54-year-old man, from Woodford Green, east London, are all on bail after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft.Maher's partner, Deborah Brett, 47; Maher's sister Margaret Francis, 64, and a 54-year-old man, from Woodford Green, east London, are all on bail after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft.