Train robber Douglas Goody dies in Spain

THE MAN believed to be the mastermind behind the Great Train Robbery has died of a heart attack at his Spanish home. 

Douglas ´Gordon´ Goody was sentenced to 30-years in jail for his part in the audacious 1963 heist which saw Mr Goody and a 15-strong gang of robbers hijack a Royal Mail train in Ledburn, Buckinghamshire. 

Serving only 12 years of his sentence before being released in 1975, Mr Goody described his time served as like “sh** or sugar” adding that “you either lie on your bed and cry, or you go to the gym and the library.”

Goody taught himself Spanish while inside made the decision to move to Spain and work in a bar on his release in 1975, fearing that his remaining in the UK might tempt him to rekindle his criminal connections. 

In 2013, a 51-year silence was broken when Mr Goody went on record in a documentary called The Great Train Robbery: A Tale of Two Thieves. Promotional material for the programme suggested that Mr Goody would reveal the identity of a mysterious character called “The Ulsterman” who is said to have made the heist possible by sharing confidential information about cash-laden Royal Mail trains running between Glasgow and London.  

However, Mr Goody, who was 84 at the time, decided not to disclose the identity of the only one of the group who got away ´clean´ with his share of the €6.7 million, and took that secret to his grave.  

Before his death on January 29, Goody is said to have lived a quiet life in the Spanish countryside near Mojacar, Almeria, with his wife Maria and five dogs for company.

Local reports suggest that he suffered from emphysema. An Almeria newspaper has confirmed that the Putney native was held in high regard in the Mojacar community.