"Fast Eddie" jailed for five years over £1.2million security van heist

10:30am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in Echo News By Gina Marden

"Fast Eddie" admits £1.2million security van heist "Fast Eddie" admits £1.2million security van heist

A BRITISH man who spent almost 20 years as a fugitive in the US has admitted the theft of a security van containing £1.2 million has been jailed for five years.

Eddie Maher - known as "Fast Eddie" - was wanted by Suffolk Police after the Securicor van he was driving disappeared from outside the Lloyds Bank in Felixstowe, Suffolk, on January 22 1993.

The 57-year-old, originally from South Woodham Ferrers,  was arrested by US authorities in February last year and held in custody awaiting trial after denying the theft following his deportation.

But today he entered a last-minute guilty plea at Southwark Crown Court in London.

He is expected to be sentenced this morning.
 

Maher, who used the false identities of Stephen King and his brother Michael Maher while on the run, intended to fight the allegation on the grounds that he had been forced to commit the crime after racking up "significant debts

Comments(20)

supermadmax says...
12:21pm Tue 5 Mar 13

It should be taken into consideration that he has been an upstanding member of the american community for the past twenty years.

Remember being arrested for having firearms illegally is no way near as serious in the states as it is in the UK. (that's how they caught him, not that Echo bothered to find out)

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CaptainBlackadder says...
12:48pm Tue 5 Mar 13

supermadmax wrote:
It should be taken into consideration that he has been an upstanding member of the american community for the past twenty years.

Remember being arrested for having firearms illegally is no way near as serious in the states as it is in the UK. (that's how they caught him, not that Echo bothered to find out)
Oh so thats alright then - he had been an upstanding member of society for 20 years so we should forget the £1.2 million he had stolen and probably would do again if he was short of a few bob!

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supermadmax says...
1:08pm Tue 5 Mar 13

You often get less for murder in the UK that you do for commercial robbery. What a joke the system is. The guy should of get no more than a couple of years and even then it is questionable whether he should be locked up at the taxpayers cost or given community service.

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j-w says...
1:31pm Tue 5 Mar 13

5 years! thats it! Blimey. be out in two.

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whateverhappened says...
2:00pm Tue 5 Mar 13

still 240k per year if he does all five, worth a go really.

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Blind Haze says...
2:05pm Tue 5 Mar 13

Perhaps I'm misreading this story but it says he's been jailed for 5 years but is awaiting sentencing?

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pitsea lady says...
2:07pm Tue 5 Mar 13

5 years wat a joke , still after 20 years watching his back wats another 5 probably only do 2.

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Jess Jephcott says...
2:18pm Tue 5 Mar 13

Be sure your sins will find you out. I remember when it happened and wondering how he did it. The police failed yet again but I suppose they will put this down to another crime solved. After prosecuting my son for getting knocked off his motorbike in Sainsbury's car park, they have now solved two crimes. Only another 6998 to go!

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wellnow says...
3:19pm Tue 5 Mar 13

It is such a shame he couldn't sent to a southern american state where he could have been leroys **** for five years.

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Ontheball says...
4:16pm Tue 5 Mar 13

If this article had been up before the courts 20 years ago he would have got at least 20yrs. The watered down and pathetic justice system now gives him a so-called 5yrs, of which he will serve 2 at the most!! No wonder this country is in the state it is in!!

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firedog says...
4:41pm Tue 5 Mar 13

Crime dosent pay, year right.

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Nebs says...
5:17pm Tue 5 Mar 13

When is the proceeds of crime hearing?

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I hate the police says...
8:45pm Tue 5 Mar 13

No wonder so many people are commiting crime (Including myself). Crime does pay, end of.

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mirokou says...
10:39pm Tue 5 Mar 13

j-w wrote:
5 years! thats it! Blimey. be out in two.
18 months max. 12 months in cat c, 6 months in Ford Open then out . Not bad For £1.2 million.
Weigh it up, crime is 20 years old , early guilty plea , prisons are full and he's broke and poses no threat or danger to the public.

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Letmetryagain says...
11:02pm Tue 5 Mar 13

At least comments can be left on this story.

I wonder why comments are not permitted on either of the current "Traveller" stories ?

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r6keith says...
8:55am Wed 6 Mar 13

whateverhappened wrote:
still 240k per year if he does all five, worth a go really.
My thoughts are the same, even if you served the full sentence thats £220000 per year and no tax.That must equal to about £500000 per year in the real world the rest of us try to survive in !

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r6keith says...
8:59am Wed 6 Mar 13

mirokou wrote:
j-w wrote: 5 years! thats it! Blimey. be out in two.
18 months max. 12 months in cat c, 6 months in Ford Open then out . Not bad For £1.2 million. Weigh it up, crime is 20 years old , early guilty plea , prisons are full and he's broke and poses no threat or danger to the public.
With good behaviour do you think he could get his old job back ? He only made one slight error surely thats a verbal warning !

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DogsMessInLeigh says...
9:07am Wed 6 Mar 13

r6keith wrote:
whateverhappened wrote:
still 240k per year if he does all five, worth a go really.
My thoughts are the same, even if you served the full sentence thats £220000 per year and no tax.That must equal to about £500000 per year in the real world the rest of us try to survive in !
£220000 per year...he could of ran a CCTV spy car in Southend for that.

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TheEqualizer1 says...
5:16pm Wed 6 Mar 13

He never did anyone any harm...Although a dishonest act for sure...He got away with it for 20 years and the best of luck to him...5 years is a bit harsh

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ALIUK1 says...
1:19am Sun 10 Mar 13

I want some of this :) I am sure he has a holiday home somewhere hidden for a retirement fund for when he comes out. But 5 years is laughable, the guy that ran my uncle over in the general hospital approach road and caused his untimely death got less than that and he physically killed someone and only got a years driving ban. How can that be justice.?!?!

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