TV3 examines the infamous bank robbery in which 26 million pounds was stolen from the Northern Bank in Belfast City centre in December 2004. Here is a timetable of the raid: Sunday 19 December 2200 GMT - Three masked men go to a house at Colinmill in Poleglass, on the western outskirts of Belfast. However, to the frustration of detectives, no one has been charged with actually carrying it out. Then-30-year-old Don Bullman was arrested at Heuston Station in Dublin in February 2005 with a red Daz washing powder box containing more than €94,000. Timeline: Northern Bank robbery The gang which carried out one of the biggest cash robberies ever appear to have planned every detail with great precision. She is suffering from exposure as a result of her ordeal. Back in 2010, in an update on convictions resulting from Operation Phoenix – “Northern Bank robbery – redux” – I noted. Some listeners told me that they had trouble with some of the volume levels in this episode, so I have uploaded a different audio file which - hopefully - won't have the same issues. The bank worker accused of participating in the £26.5 million robbery of his employer Northern Bank in Belfast has walked free from court today after charges against him were dropped. Amid the prolonged political slanging match, there was not enough evidence to prove the involvement of any single group. Monday 1900 GMT - Money which has loaded into crates is collected up by a "distinctive" white box van. With Daniel Harland, Dorrie Partington, James Schofield, Emily Sinclair. 1. Armed raiders took £26.5m from the vaults at the headquarters on Donegall Square, quietly loaded it into crates inside a white lorry and drove away into the night. The Northern Bank robbery was the biggest such raid in UK history at the time. Posing as police officers to gain entry, they held the men and their families at gunpoint. Northern Bank was one of the oldest banks in Ireland having been formed in 1809, and formed part of one of the Big Four banks in Ireland. By 1824, it had become the Northern Banking Company Limited. Here is a timetable of the raid: In 2004 a gang in Northern Ireland managed to execute one of the most audacious robberies in the world. Her car is later found burnt out in the forest park. "; The Northern Bank's head office was robbed by the gang, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites, How the world's oldest clove tree defied an empire, Why Royal Ballet principal Sergei Polunin quit, BBC News Updated every minute of every day, Tourists flock to 'Jesus's tomb' in Kashmir. The robbery itself was carried out by a competent group of criminals … This was a particularly brutal crime, people were extremely badly treated and assaulted by the gang,'' he said. He was arrested at Heuston Station in Dublin two years earlier by gardaí investigating money laundering following the Northern Bank robbery and found in … The robber entered the bank in … Computers, discs, a passport, bank statements, credit cards, wage cheques and phone records were seized. Stolen: £26.5 million ($41 million) Days before Christmas, … Most Popular Now | 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now. So much money was stolen that it is thought that … The haul included £10m of uncirculated Northern Bank sterling banknotes, £5.5m of used Northern Bank sterling notes, £4.5m of circulated sterling notes issued by other banks, and small amounts of other currencies, largely euros and US dollars. They work in the cash centre in the basement of the bank, in Donegall Square/Wellington Street. The PSNI confirmed the money was taken during the Northern Bank heist, but said the stash was likely to have been "planted to distract detectives" investigating the robbery and "divert attention from events elsewhere". A few hours later, McMullen's wife escaped from the forest. The Northern Bank robbery was a large robbery of cash from the Donegall Square West headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Carried out on 20 December 2004, the gang seized the equivalent of £26.5 million in pounds sterling and small amounts of other currencies, largely euros and US dollars, making it the largest bank robbery in Irish history. THE only man jailed over the €30million Northern Bank robbery is to sue Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. Monday 1200 GMT - Mr McMullan and Mr Ward go into work and carry out their normal duties. After Orde's statement it is going to take some mighty footwork to persuade Unionists to share power with Sinn Fein. By 11:45 pm, police and senior Northern Bank officials had been alerted to the robbery. There are few better ways to achieve this than to borrow a few million from the Northern Bank and blame the IRA. He added that the Secretary of State “knows who carried out the Northern bank robbery – it was the Provisional IRA, it was Bobby Storey”. The Northern Bank now intends to withdraw most of its current notes and re-issue them in a different colour and style. A man was tonight charged with the £26.5m (€39.2m) Northern Bank robbery in Belfast. Despite its notoriety - and the numerous arrests in connection with the robbery over the past four years - no one has been brought to justice. Mr Ward is taken in a red car from Poleglass to a house in Loughinisland Road, Downpatrick, County Down, where his supervisor lives. To this day, the robbers themselves remain unknown. On 2 November 2005 a third man was arrested and charged in connection with the Northern bank robbery. Sam Kinkaid, head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Crime Operations branch, is briefed and immediately signals the start of the hunt for the gang involved. Belfast, UK; 2004. One of the sons is Chris Ward, a bank official with the Northern Bank in Donegall Square West. Sinn Fein insisted the IRA had not carried out the robbery and Sinn Fein officials had not known of or sanctioned it. In an elaborate plot, they ordered the staff to steal over £26 million, walking straight out of the bank with the money. They were later released. The Northern Bank began life in 1809 in Belfast as the Northern Banking Partnership. Sunday 2330 GMT - Mrs McMullan is taken away from the house to an undisclosed location where she is held blindfold for more than 24 hours. The case of Ted Cunningham: The Northern Bank Robbery, the Cork financier and the missing millions Ted Cunningham is the only person who went to jail in relation to the Northern Bank heist. It was nearly six hours after the bank had been robbed and the gang was long gone. Sir Hugh Orde, the PSNI chief constable, issued an interim report blaming the IRA. As the hunt for the gang continued stretched into weeks, then months, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) - along with the British and Irish governments - claimed the IRA was involved. Monday 20 December 0630 GMT - The masked men leave the house in Loughinisland Road, leaving the bank officials with instructions about what they must do. Armed raiders took £26.5m from the vaults at the headquarters on Donegall Square, quietly loaded it … It was one of the largest amounts of money ever taken in a bank robbery in the UK. On December 19 2004 a group of masked and armed gang members arrived at the homes of two Northern Bank executives, Chris Ward and Kevin McMullan, in Poleglass and Loughinisland. … When he arrives, two masked men have already taken over that house by pretending to be police officers. The Northern Bank has now reassessed the amount stolen from its head office on 20 December as £26.5m. He strongly denied the report was published because of political pressure. On July 10, 2019, Dean also robbed an Arvest Bank, handing the teller a note that stated, “This is a robbery….Don’t make this a killing spree.” Dean also indicated in the note that he had a firearm. Police recovered £2m - including £60,000 of Northern Bank notes - during raids in Cork and Dublin. At 7pm, a white van was loaded with crates filled with cash. Ward was transferred to McMullen's house while his family remained captive in their home. Her burnt-out car was later found in the Forest Park. Police believe this was a trial run for the later robbery. On December the 20 th 2004, 26.5 million British pounds were stolen from Northern Bank, in Belfast. Northern Bank robbery. The crime had huge political ramifications for the Northern Ireland peace process, coming at a particularly delicate time in the negotiations. It began its expansion soon after, establishing branches in Monaghan and Dublin by the 1840s. A violent group kidnapped staff of the Northern Bank in Belfast and held their families hostage. He goes around the corner into Upper Queen Street where he hands the bag to another man. In 2004 a gang in Northern Ireland managed to execute one of the most audacious robberies in the world. He is taken away while at least two masked men hold the rest of the family hostage for more than 24 hours. It returned an hour later for a second collection. By this time the gang had made its getaway. In total, 10 people have been arrested and three have been charged in connection with the robbery. Monday 1800 GMT -One of the workers leaves the bank carrying a holdall containing about £1m. The robbery of Belfast's Northern Bank is one of the most audacious thefts in UK history. Danske Bank UK (formerly Northern Bank) is a commercial bank in Northern Ireland. Northern Bank Robbery. Showing all 1 items Jump to: Summaries (1) Summaries. The Northern Bank robbery was a robbery of cash from the Donegall Square West headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Carried out on 20 December 2004, a gang seized the equivalent of £26.5 million in pounds sterling and small amounts of other currencies, largely euros and US dollars, making it the largest bank robbery in British history. It's estimated up to 30 republicans, including top-level IRA personnel, planned and executed the robbery. The Greatest Cash Theft In History 1 The Northern Bank. How the robbery of a bank in Northern Ireland strangely helped propel the Irish peace process. The 30-year-old man was held for questioning and … Monday 2300 GMT - Mrs McMullan finds her way to a house after being left in Drumkeeragh Forest Park, County Down, between Ballynahinch and Castlewellan. The organisation grew with the economy, then strong with the proceeds of the linen and … A mother, father, two sons and a girlfriend of one of the sons are in the house. Northern Bank took on the name of its parent company Danske Bank as its trading name in November 2012. Monday 2345 GMT - Police and senior officials at the bank are alerted to the raid. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an armed bank robbery Saturday morning at the Bank of America in Sterling. In excess of £26m is stolen in total before the van drives off towards the Grosvenor Road roundabout. When the bank closed that evening, the two men led the gang members to the underground vaults and opened them. Despite suffering from exposure, she managed to raise the alarm at about 11.45pm. Fifteen years later, he maintains his innocence and wants to clear his name. The biggest series of arrests was made in February 2005 when seven suspects, including a member of Sinn Fein, were questioned. The Northern Bank robbery was a large robbery of cash from the Donegall Square West headquarters of the Northern Bank in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The defendant left the bank with $1,250 but was later located by Tulsa Police Officers. They escaped with £26.5m after a robbery on the Northern Bank's Belfast headquarters. Monday 2000 GMT - The van makes a second collection from the Wellington Street entrance to the bank. They escaped with £26.5m after a robbery on the Northern Bank's Belfast headquarters. A violent group kidnapped staff of the Northern Bank in Belfast and held their families hostage. Sorry for the inconvenience! On a late December day in 2004, groups of armed men, clad in … McMullen's wife was taken to a forest south of Belfast where she was held hostage. The Northern Bank Robbery (2011) Plot. The only man convicted in connection with the Northern Bank robbery is now suing the bank for taking possession of millions of pounds found by gardai at his home. His supervisor Kevin McMullan and his wife Karen have been tied up at gunpoint. The gang which carried out one of the biggest cash robberies ever appear to have planned every detail with great precision. The Northern Bank robbery was the biggest bank robbery in the history of Ireland. The Northern Bank robbery was a large robbery of cash from the Donegall Square West headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Carried out on 20 December 2004, the gang seized the equivalent of £26.5 million in pounds sterling and small amounts of other currencies, largely euros and U.S. dollars.This made it the largest bank robbery in UK or Irish history. The IRA said it was not involved in the bank robbery and Sinn Fein leaders have said they believe the denial. A former IRA man jailed for robbing a bank himself has penned a novel inspired by the Northern Bank robbery. On the evening of December 20th, 2004, two Northern Bank executives carried out the largest heist in British history. Masked raiders who stole £26.5m a few days before Christmas 2004 cannot have known the political ramifications, A burned car believed to have been used in the Northern Bank robbery. Around $100,000 in US banknotes was found in the toilet of the police athletics association's Newforge country club. The robbery of Belfast's Northern Bank is one of the most audacious thefts in UK history. It was done by the people who would benefit most from the robbery: those opposed to Sinn Fein being in government. 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now. THE Northern Bank heist was the biggest robbery ever carried out in Ireland or Britain . 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