An international antiques thief wanted in Japan over a £679,000 jewellery store heist may face extradition – but only after he has served his 36 year jail sentence in the UK.
Daniel Kelly, 46, is wanted by Japanese authorities for his alleged involvement in the raid at the Harry Winston Omotesando Hills Salon of Jewellery in Central Tokyo in 2015.
Kelly, along with his son Kaine Wright, 27, and Joe Chappell, 37, allegedly posed as security before attacking a guard and making off with gems worth 106,272,000 Yen (£679,000). The trio are said to have fled Japan two days after the heist.
In 2019, Kelly was one of three men who carried out the shooting of Paul Allen, the crime boss behind the £54m Securitas robbery. Allen, a former cage fighter, known as ‘The Enforcer’, was behind Britain’s biggest armed robbery at the Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent in 2006.
Six bullets were fired at Allen, 46, through the kitchen window of the detached house he had rented from the comedian Russell Kane in Woodford, east London, on 11 July 2019. He survived but was left paralysed for life.
Kelly was convicted of conspiracy to murder by an Old Bailey jury and jailed for 36 years in April this year.
Despite his conviction, he is still wanted for his alleged involvement in the Harry Winston raid, with Japanese authorities having begun proceedings to extradite Kelly, Wright and Chappell in 2018.
But lawyers told Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday that Kelly can only be extradited once he completes his sentence, which could be 24 years away.
International antiques thief Daniel Kelly is wanted in Japan over a £679,000 jewellery store heist and may face extradition
Paul Allen, the crime boss behind the £54m Securitas robbery, was shot down by Kelly and two other men on 11 July 2019. He survived but was left paralysed for life
Kelly also carried out a raid at the Harry Winston Omotesando Hills Salon (pictured) of Jewellery in Central Tokyo in 2015
In May Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring sent the cases of Wright, a former West Ham youth player, and Chappell to the Secretary of State ahead of their possible extradition to Japan.
Alex Tinsley, defending Kelly, told Westminster Magistrates’ Court today Kelly may have to wait at least 24 years before he is eligible for parole.
‘The appropriate day for the extradition order to be made may only start when his sentence is finished.
‘But the issue I see with this is that we may be talking about an extradition in 24 years time.
‘We see great difficulty with proceeding that way, as there may be a set of new issues for the High Court to deal with.
‘It seems to me that those are issues that the court will have to grapple with.’
Ben Keith, for the Japanese authorities, said: ‘There is a middle ground in that we can adjourn every six months for at least 24 years.
‘The Japanese government want to review Mr Kelly’s case after the conclusion of Wright and Chappell’s case.
Allen (pictured), a former cage fighter, known as ‘The Enforcer’, was behind Britain’s biggest armed robbery at the Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent in 2006
The scene on Malvern Drive in Woodford Green, north-east London, where Allen was shot inside a property owned by comedian Russell Kane
Six bullets were fired at Allen through the kitchen window (pictured) of the detached house
‘At the same time, the Japanese government are not intending to withdraw the extradition request.’
Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring said: ‘Adjourning may seem the most practical way to deal with it.
‘I agree that it is perhaps better to wait and adjourn for six months as we are obliged to at the moment, as Mr Kelly is a serving prisoner in domestic proceedings.
‘My hope is that the High Court can at least settle the issues with the other two defendants.’
Mr Goldspring adjourned Kelly’s hearing until November 21 and asked to be kept updated on any developments in the cases of Wright and Chappell.
There is currently no extradition treaty between the two countries but the governments negotiated a ‘memorandum of co-operation’ following requests for the accused robbers to be sent to the Orient.
In 2022, a judge had refused to allow Wright and Chappell to be extradited and discharged them on the basis they might be made subject to ‘ill-treatment’ during detainment.
But Japanese authorities appealed against the decision and High Court judges overturned the earlier decision to discharge the two men in January.
Louis Ahearne, 36, who, along with his brother Stewart Ahearne, 46, and Daniel Kelly, 46, was found guilty of plotting to murder Allen. He was jailed for 30 years
Louis Ahearne (pictured) was sentenced to 33 years imprisonment
Kelly, along with brothers Stewart Ahearne, 46, and Louis Ahearne, 36, gunned down Allen just weeks after stealing Ming dynasty antiquities worth £2.8m from The Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva, Switzerland.
Louis Ahearne was sentenced to 33 years imprisonment, while Stewart Ahearne was jailed for 30 years for his involvement in the shooting.
The trio botched the assassination attempt despite using a Glock 9mm pistol equipped with a laser sight. He was shot through the glass door of the kitchen at his large detached rental home in Woodford, north London.
It is not clear what their motive for the shooting was, although the judge in case said that she suspected it was part of a wider conspiracy, involving more people than the three suspects, to kill Allen for ‘financial gain’.
