A HADLEIGH man helped transport loot from the “largest burglary in English history” a court has heard.

Taxi driver Jon Harbinson, 42, of Beresford Gardens, was recruited to help transport the proceeds of a £14million raid on a Hatton Garden Safe Deposit over this year’s Easter weekend.

Experienced criminal Brian Reader, 76, of Dartford Road, Dartford along with three other ringleaders - John "Kenny" Collins, 75, of Blestoe Walk, Islington Daniel Jones, 58, of Park Avenue, Enfield and Terry Perkins, 67 of Heene Road, Enfield - has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit.

Carl Wood, 58, of Elderbeck Close, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire; William Lincoln, 60, of Winkley Street, Bethnal Green; and Harbinson, deny the offence.

Jurors at Woolwich Crown Court have heard how the gang initially broke into the vault on April 2, but needed to return with different equipment on April 4 in order to complete the raid.

Once inside the vault, the thieves ransacked 73 of the 999 safe deposit boxes within it, with Jones emerging from the building around 5.45am on April 5.

The gang transported their haul of jewels and other valuable items away in wheelie bins and bags before loading it into a white van.

The court was told the men decided to wait until publicity subsided to launder the goods. They originally split up proceeds and went their separate ways.

Prosecutor Philip Evans said: "When they were confident that had happened they could split it up, melt it down, sell it or hide for a rainy day. Ultimately, however, their plan was to convert their criminal property into money."

The gang allegedly decided all the goods should be amassed in one place.

The court heard a large amount of the loot was kept by Harbinson under the direction and supervision of Lincoln.

Mr Evans said: "Lincoln had recruited his nephew and Harbinson had picked up and stored the items."

On May 19, Harbinson allegedly took the goods in his taxi to the car park next to The Old Wheatsheaf pub in Enfield - next to Doyle's workshop, jurors heard.

Collins and Jones drove to the workshop to collect the goods, and once the bags in question had been moved into Collins's boot, they drove to Sterling Road and met Perkins there. Soon after their arrival, the police arrived following a surveillance operation by detectives. A recording device placed in Perkins's car, had recorded Jones boasting about the raid.

As well as being charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, Wood, Lincoln and Harbinson are accused of conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property.

A fourth man, Hugh Doyle, 48, of Riverside Gardens, Enfield, north London, is jointly charged with them on one count of conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property between January 1 and May 19, this year.

He also faces an alternative charge of concealing, converting or transferring criminal property between April 1 and May 19, this year.

One of the alleged thieves, a red-haired man known only as Basil, remains at large.

The trial continues.