From the mid-1960s, a brazen band of Australian thieves ran riot in London for more than a decade, pulling off the most daring heists Scotland Yard had ever seen. They were tagged by the press as the Kangaroo Gang. The gang, led by the charismatic 'King' Arthur Delaney, targeted the plush emporia of Knightsbridge and the fine jewellers of Mayfair. But the King didn't stop there, criss-crossing Europe to lay siege to the luxury retailers of Paris, Brussels, Rome and beyond. The Kangaroo Gang operated at a time before closed-circuit television cameras. They elevated shoplifting to an art form practised without guns or violence. The King always found a way to simply 'disappear' with the loot. This is also a love story between the King and his 'Queen' Alexis, who tried to tame the greatest of travelling thieves. The King's 30-year criminal odyssey culminated in the biggest job of his career - 6 mn pounds worth of precious gems from Asprey of London - in broad daylight.

About the Author

Adam Shand is the author of Big Shots, the inside story of Melbourne's gangland wars.