Stealing Victory

Some people do extraordinary things to get rich but few come close to Big Spender. A criminal mastermind, he grew up poor in Hong Kong and hungry for more. So, naturally, he decided to pull off the biggest crimes of their kind the world has ever seen.

This is Bad Money — a new narrative series from Kindling Media and Vespucci about power, wealth and wrongdoing.

Search Bad Money and follow the feed to be the first to know. Episode one is out now.

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The season's final episode.

After months of digging, Tom is on the verge of solving the five decade mystery of who stole the Jules Rimet trophy.

However, can he get the evidence to prove Sidney Cugullere was the thief?

To do so he must delve into London’s criminal underworld where we hear stories of torture, axe attacks and gang warfare.

He tracks down some of the people who were closest to the villains involved in the 1966 heist and uncovers the fullest ever account of how the World Cup was stolen and then recovered, taking us from a coal bunker in Luton to the tropical beaches of Brazil.

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Auddy presents Stealing Victory - an original production

#stealingvictory

Investigating reporter and presenter, Tom Pettifor

Theme Music by Nick Reynolds and Edward Rose

Title music by Guy Farley

Series Producer, Zak Brophy

Sound Designer, Norman Goodman

Executive Editor, Owen Bennett-Jones

Executive Producer, Andrew Sampson

Special thanks to the Daily Mirror, London.

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What, we had the fake one? I’m staggered. Bloody Cheek. It’s outrageous”.

When England met West Germany in the World Cup Final, England's vice captain George Cohen had his heart set on winning the cup.

Rookie policeman Peter Weston had been charged with swapping the fake cup for the real cup after the game.

Both men tell their story of what happened on that momentous day.

And Tom has a major breakthrough in his search for the elusive Sidney Kew.

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Auddy presents Stealing Victory - an original production

#stealingvictory

Investigating reporter and presenter, Tom Pettifor

Theme Music by Nick Reynolds and Edward Rose

Title music by Guy Farley

Series Producer, Zak Brophy

Sound Designer, Norman Goodman

Executive Editor, Owen Bennett-Jones

Executive Producer, Andrew Sampson

Special thanks to the Daily Mirror, London.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The police caught a man in a sting operation as he tried to collect a ransom and then two days later the trophy was found by Pickles. But how did it get onto the driveway of a suburban South London street? "They did some kind of deal behind the scenes to say look, if you can get the cup back we will shorten your sentence. So I think my father probably acted as a go between the authorities - in this case the police, the FA and the government - and the thieves.

..........................................

Auddy presents Stealing Victory - an original production

#stealingvictory

Investigating reporter and presenter, Tom Pettifor

Theme Music by Nick Reynolds and Edward Rose

Title music by Guy Farley

Series Producer, Zak Brophy

Sound Designer, Norman Goodman

Executive Editor, Owen Bennett-Jones

Executive Producer, Andrew Sampson

Special thanks to the Daily Mirror, London.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Corbett burst through the doors of Gypsy Hill Police Station with what he believes is the world cup. The desk sergeant tells him “This doesn’t look very world cuppy to me sonny!”. Months later Dave and Pickles found themselves at the England team's celebratory dinner, where Pickles cocked a leg and relieved himself against the lift.

Tom’s investigation throw up new details that suggest that there was more to the telling of Pickles than we’d all come to know.

..........................................

Auddy presents Stealing Victory - an original production

#stealingvictory

Investigating reporter and presenter, Tom Pettifor

Theme Music by Nick Reynolds and Edward Rose

Title music by Guy Farley

Series Producer, Zak Brophy

Sound Designer, Norman Goodman

Executive Editor, Owen Bennett-Jones

Executive Producer, Andrew Sampson

Special thanks to the Daily Mirror, London.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The authorities receive a ransom from a man calling himself Jackson. They had been wading through a maze of dead ends but now they had something concrete.

An 'FA official' meets with Jackson and they drive into the badlands of South London to get the cup. Tensions rise as a "funny old van" keeps popping up and spooks Jackson. Are they being followed? Will the deal take place or will Jackson do a runner? The stakes are high. The risk is real. The outcome uncertain.

..........................................

Auddy presents Stealing Victory - an original production

#stealingvictory

Investigating reporter and presenter, Tom Pettifor

Theme Music by Nick Reynolds and Edward Rose

Title music by Guy Farley

Series Producer, Zak Brophy

Sound Designer, Norman Goodman

Executive Editor, Owen Bennett-Jones

Executive Producer, Andrew Sampson

Special thanks to the Daily Mirror, London.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world cup trophy was stolen from under the noses of the British authorities days before a general election. It was an international scandal. Within hours of the theft the Football Association (FA) and the cops were conspiring in secret to have a fake cup made.

..........................................

Auddy presents Stealing Victory - an original production

#stealingvictory

Investigating reporter and presenter, Tom Pettifor

Theme Music by Nick Reynolds and Edward Rose

Title music by Guy Farley

Series Producer, Zak Brophy

Sound Designer, Norman Goodman

Executive Editor, Owen Bennett-Jones

Executive Producer, Andrew Sampson

Special thanks to the Daily Mirror, London.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a quiet Sunday morning in March 1966 the World Cup trophy was locked in an exhibition hall in central London. 

Shortly before midday, security guard John McLaren's went to check on the cup, "and there it was… nothing… just the plinth. Quite a shocker".

In Episode 1 of Stealing Victory, John speaks publicly for the first time about what happened on the day of the theft.

It was one of the most infamous heists of the 20th century and it came just a few months before the Queen was due to award the trophy to the World Cup winners.

The thief was never identified but in 2017 Tom Pettifor, Crime Editor of the Daily Mirror, received a tip off from an underworld source.

This series follows Tom's investigation into that tip off, delving into the seedy world of 1960s gangland London, police corruption and the secret making of a fake trophy. It tells us something about the stories we tell and those we choose to forget.

And it's the search for an incredibly elusive man with an unforgettable head of hair. 

..........................................

Auddy presents Stealing Victory - an original production

#stealingvictory

Investigating reporter and presenter, Tom Pettifor

Theme Music by Nick Reynolds and Edward Rose

Title music by Guy Farley

Series Producer, Zak Brophy

Sound Designer, Norman Goodman

Executive Editor, Owen Bennett-Jones

Executive Producer, Andrew Sampson

Special thanks to the Daily Mirror, London.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stealing Victory - The Untold Story of the 1966 World Cup heist.The theft of the World Cup trophy in 1966 was one of the most audacious heists ever committed.The trophy depicted Nike, the Greek goddess of victory and in 1966 the England manager had promised that his team would win. It embodied the pride, hopes and dreams of a nation and was stolen just a few months before Queen Elizabeth II was due to present it to the winners at Wembley. The whole world was watching.Tom Pettifor is the Crime Editor at the Daily Mirror in London. His new investigation reveals a far darker and deeper story than the official version. The identity of the thief has never been uncovered and all most people remember is that a dog named Pickles found it under a bush.In 2018 a throw away comment by an underworld source of Tom’s revealed a far darker and deeper tale behind that notorious theft over 50 years ago. This is that story. This is the untold story of the 1966 World Cup heist.

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