DOME raiders caught red-handed as they attempted the robbery of the millennium used women and children to cover their reconnaissance missions, the Old Bailey heard.

The gang members, who smashed their way into the Dome on November 8 last year using a modified JCB, failed to pull off the world's biggest robbery because of a meticulous police operation.

William Cockran, aged 48, of Penberth Road, Catford, is one of six men accused of conspiracy to rob, all of them deny the charge.

He and Raymond Betson, aged 39, accompanied by a woman and child, were followed by detectives as they filmed inside the vault housing the £200m De Beers diamond collection.

They were followed to the Surrey Quays shopping centre where they met up with Aldo Ciarrochi, aged 31.

Showing jurors video footage, prosecuting Martin Heslop said: "They are sitting on a bench and it's quite clear they are reviewing video material. You could not have had a more conspiratorial group."

He then showed the jury a nail gun which allegedly would have been used to try to pierce the armoured glass surrounding the collection.

And he said gestures made by Cockran and Ciarrochi imitated the way the nail gun, capable of shooting nails through steel, would be used.

Once they had the 12 diamonds, including the 777 carat flawless Millennium Star, they planned to escape James Bond-style in a speed boat, capable of 55mph, along the River Thames.

Mr Heslop, explained the Met came to suspect there might be a plan to get the diamonds and said: "An extensive surveillance operation was put into place in particular on two farms in Kent and a disused commercial premises in Plumstead called the Old Coal Yard."

Police laid on extra security, including undercover officers and the monitoring of sophisticated CCTV.

Hand-held cameras were also used by specialist teams to monitor the scene.

Cockran and Ciarrochi, of Balaclava Road, Rotherhithe, Kevin Meredith, aged 34, of Aukland Drive, Brighton, Wayne Taylor, aged 35, of Tonbridge, and Robert Adams, aged 57 and Betson, both of no fixed address, all deny conspiracy to rob. Meredith and Taylor deny further charges of conspiracy to steal. The trial continues.

November 15, 2001 9:45