Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary series revisiting the November 2000 Millennium Dome raid for the robbery of its De Beers diamond exhibition, Netflix’s ‘The Diamond Heist’ is unlike any other. That’s because it delves deep into the stranger-than-fiction crime through the eyes of those who actually did it, shattering the entire family’s name in a way no one expected. At the front and center of it all is Lee Wenham, whose accounts of what transpired and why only make us wonder more about him.
Lee Wenham Was Set on Being a Career Criminal From an Early Age
Lee Wenham was born into a family of traveling gypsies who reportedly made their living stealing and robbing individuals and small institutions, resulting in him knowing nothing more as he grew up. He actually has dyslexia and has thus always struggled with schooling, too, so he was pulled out at the age of 12, following which all he did was go to work with his father. In other words, he grew up surrounded by criminals and ended up following in their and his dad’s footsteps.
As per Lee’s own accounts in the aforementioned original, he got into this field when he was just a teenager, with his first theft being of a construction machine called JCB. It has a hydraulically operated shovel in the front and an excavator arm in the back, making it a multi-faced machine that he stole and drove from a farm. Then, once he got away with it, he could not help but make it a pattern and began thinking of new ways to make money quickly without actually doing any normal work.
By the time 1992 rolled around, Lee had established an illegal cash business. He was taking out cash points for cigarettes, resulting in him admittedly making roughly $6,000 a week. This was when he was in his early 20s, so he felt very settled even as his personal life grew. He found himself settling down with a partner and welcoming two daughters into this world. However, despite everything, he still felt as if there was something missing – the respect his father had had in the business, so he decided to do a big job to earn his name. He was comfortable financially, but he wanted to be respected like his father.
Lee Wenham Was Reportedly the Brains Behind a Couple of Robbery Plans
It was in 2000 when Lee decided to do a big job in the hopes of earning the respect his father and his mates had in the criminal world, leading him to decide cash spots would be the best. Therefore, in February, he and an accomplice allegedly stopped a security man about to make a multimillion pind delivery in a car park in Nine Elms, London, ready to bag the cash. They reportedly used three heavy vehicles to block the truck before using a 6-foot spike mounted on a lorry to penetrate the van and get their eyes on the cash. As per the show, when the robbers were preparing for this in the streets, a good Samaritan took out the keys from the lorry, leaving them no choice but to abandon their plans and escape via the river Thames.
Then, in July 2000, Lee allegedly tried to hit another security van in the same way in Aylesford, only to fail when the police showed up much quicker than they had expected, resulting in another failed robbery attempt. The truth is that officials were able to establish these were done by the same group as the spike on the first scene had “Gerty” written on it, whereas the spike on the other had “Gerty 2. Persistent, aren’t we?” Their escape route – River Thames – was also the same, but what was different this time around was that it was an armed robbery – the alleged assailants had guns and a fake bomb at the scene.
Nevertheless, with these allegedly foiled robberies, Lee only became even more persistent in getting a big hit under his belt, so he was over the moon when his dad introduced him to gangster Ray Betson in July. The small-time thief could immediately ascertain that the latter was a shark and that crossing him would be detrimental to anybody, so he thought carefully when Ray approached him with an idea for a heist. In exchange for 1 million pounds, all he had to do was plan the heist of the De Baar diamond exhibition at the Millenium Dome, which included the 203-carat Millenium Star and was valued at 300 euros.
Lee Wenham Wasn’t Present During the Millennium Dome Heist Despite Being the Brains Behind it
According to the aforementioned show, the Flying Squad specialist force within the New Scotland Yard was quick to notice a pattern in the two major failed 2000 robberies, so they knew the crew would hit again. They thus began investigating the same, which led them to a career criminal by the name of Terry Millman, but instead of arresting him for good, they decided to surveil him. Therefore, when Lee eventually reached out to him for the robbery Ray had suggested, he inadvertently led the police to Lee and his family’s property Tong’s Farm in Kent, through which they realized the plan was different this time around.
As per Detective Chief Investigator John “Swini” Swinfield, they quickly identified Lee as well as all their accomplices, yet they were sure he was not the mastermind as it wasn’t his style to hit such a public place. However, they were able to ascertain that he visited the Melimuim dome thrice within a short period – once with his family, once alone, and once with an accomplice – before also acquiring a JCB and a Speedboat. So, while they soon figured out Ray Betson to be the boss of this entire operation, they also learned their escape plan was going to be through the River Thames once again.
So, with surveillance throughout the farm via hidden cameras and camouflaged officers, the authorities were able to determine November 7, 2000, to be the day of the heist and put it into place. Their plan was to arrest all assailants red-handed during the heist as it would make their further legal proceedings a bit easier. However, while almost everyone involved was arrested, including Terry Millman at the escape point across the river, Lee was nowhere to be found. He was on the farm waiting for the job to be over so that he could get his million. He had no idea the police were 2 steps ahead and had even replaced the exhibit with replicas two months prior. He and his dad were both arrested from their farm the same day.
Lee Wenham Eventually Pleaded Guilty to Two Robberies
Although Lee failed to hit big, his dreams of getting the respect he wanted did come true in November 2000 as he was applauded by inmates while being led into prison to await trial. As if that’s not enough, even reporters and the head of security at De Beers noted that the plan was not only astounding but also brilliant, especially as they probably would have succeeded if the officials didn’t know about it. However, instead of just the heist, Lee was also charged with the failed Aylesford robbery owing to concrete evidence recovered from the scenes, making him realize he was probably in for a long time.
Lee admittedly didn’t regret anything as he had made his choices, but he did hate the fact that if he ended up serving a long time in prison, he would miss out on watching his kids grow up. He also couldn’t stand the fact that his father was behind bars because while it made his time in jail easier, he could see his father’s health deteriorating fast. So, following his co-defendants’ verdict, when his lawyers brought him a plea deal in exchange for a shorter term and the charges against his father being dropped, he accepted immediately. The early 30-year-old had already decided the Dome heist would be his last, so he thought some prison time would help him along the way, even if he hated that it meant being away from his daughters.
Lee Wenham Currently Leads a Quiet Life in Kent
In the end, Lee was sentenced to a total of 13 years behind bars, with credit for the term already served for the two armed robberies-related charges he had been indicted of. However, owing to his good behavior in prison and his genuineness in turning over a new leaf, he only served a total of 4 and a half years before being released on parole. From what we can tell, he has managed to remain well away from the limelight and the dark side, meaning that after nearly three decades of his life as a criminal, he turned straight and decided to lead an ordinary life. After all, he didn’t want his daughters to follow in his footsteps and hated that they learned about his profession following his arrest when he never planned to tell them.
Now, Lee Wenham is a local entrepreneur, a published author, and a worldwide personality who continues to reside in Kent. It actually appears as if he still has a connection with JCBs, but now at a much different level since he only uses them now in the landscaping gardening he has since established. As if that’s not enough, he is a writer, with his debut book with Joe Cusack, a tell-all memoir titled ‘A Diamond Geezer: The Story Behind Britain’s Biggest Robbery,’ having been published on April 16, 2025. Lee is honestly a humble family man these days, doing his best to spend most of his time with his daughters and partner. However, with his book and the show, he has decided to spread his wings into being a public personality, meaning he is now open to being a public speaker, giving interviews, making appearances on podcasts, and much more. We honestly can’t wait to see what’s next in the cards for him.
Read More: Ray Betson: Where is the Millennium Dome Heist Conspirator Now?
