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 new information 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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Auddy presents Stealing Victory - an original production

#stealingvictory


Investigating reporter and presenter, Tom Pettifor

Theme Music by Nick Reynolds and Edward Rose

Titlel 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.

True Crime
1
Introducing: Bad Money - Big Spender
A Hong Kong criminal goes further than anyone before to get rich.
2 min
2
EP7 - The Prize (Finale)
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...
39 min
3
EP6 - The Old Switcheroo
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...
29 min
4
EP5 - A firm within a firm
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...
39 min
5
EP4 - Twist in the tail
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...
28 min
6
EP3 - No Tricks
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...
24 min
7
EP2 - One for the pot
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...
26 min
8
EP1 - Eight Bloody Screws
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...
20 min
9
Trailer: Stealing Victory
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...
1 min