The new six-part ITV drama ‘Joan’, starring Sophie Turner, explores the tumultuous life of Joan Hannington, who was called one of “Britain’s most notorious diamond thieves.” The series is inspired by Hannington’s memoir.
The show promises to provide a gritty glimpse into her extraordinary life marked by crime, resilience, and ultimately, redemption. So, let’s take a look into Joan’s life of crime and where she is now.
Joan Hannington’s Real Story
Joan Hannington’s story begins in the shadow of an abusive upbringing in West London. She was the youngest of six children, and ran away at just 13, setting the stage for a life filled with hardship and defiance.
Her early years were marked by chaos. However, it was her marriage to Ray Pavey, a convicted armed robber, that catalyzed her descent into crime.
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Shortly after her marriage, she gave birth to her daughter, Debbie. However, social services put Debbie into foster care. Desperate to reunite with her daughter, Hannington’s life spiraled further into criminality, highlighted in the drama’s first episode.
The narrative of stealing a car to visit Debbie, alongside the shocking act of swallowing diamonds was all done in desperation to meet her daughter. All these incidents have been aptly portrayed on the show.
“So many things in that first episode in particular were absolutely straight from ripped from the real world,” show creator Anna Symon told Digitalspy. She made it clear that all of the things shown in episode one did actually happen, and none of it was dramatization.
Moreover, meeting Ronald Thomas Hannington aka as Benny Boisie, marked a turning point in Joan’s life. An antiques dealer with a criminal past, Boisie became her partner in both life and crime. He introduced her to a world of deceit and theft. The couple had a son named Benny.
“Millionaires Without Getting It Over the Pavement”
Hannington’s most audacious crimes involved intricate techniques, including swallowing jewels and replacing them with fakes. She claimed at one point to have hidden over £800,000 worth of gems in her garden. “To be a woman doing that sort of thing in those days wasn’t the norm, but it was an amazing buzz,” she told The Sun.
“We had several millions going through our hands,” Hannington wrote in her memoir. “That’s not a lot of money in this day and age, nothing on the drug deal. But in the 1980s, we were among those early criminals to be in the millionaire league without getting it over the pavement.”
Additionally, to carry out her heists, Hannington would dress in all manner of disguises. She used these personas to gain trust and access to high-end jewelry. She often visited jewelry shops to inspect diamond rings, memorizing their details to get cheap replicas made.
Later, she would return to the store, fake a sneeze, and switch the real jewels with the fakes. Additionally, the lack of CCTV in the 1980s made her schemes highly effective. However, despite the glamor and the millions, she couldn’t achieve what mattered most to her: regaining custody of Debbie.
Joan Was Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison Time, However, Not For Her Diamond Thievery
Joan’s luck ran out in 1980, but ironically not for her diamond-related escapades. At age 24, she was arrested for possessing a stolen checkbook. This led to her being sentenced to 30 months in Holloway Prison. She quickly married Boisie at the Action Register Office before going inside.
However, Her time in prison didn’t deter her ambitions. Upon her release, she astonishingly secured another job at a jewelry shop, where she consumed another 20 diamond rings and £400,000 worth of bracelets. Additionally, she does not feel any remorse towards her past life of crime.
“I feel no guilt for my crimes, I saw myself as a businesswoman and mother. I did it to ensure a good life for me and my family,” she wrote unapologetically in her memoir. Moreover, despite being one of Britain’s most notorious jewel thieves, she often managed to avoid lengthy prison sentences for her most serious offenses. Additionally, one main reason she wasn’t caught or convicted was due to her meticulous planning and the lack of surveillance.
For instance, many of her diamond-switching schemes relied on her ability to memorize jewelry, create convincing replicas, and quickly make the switch without anyone noticing. The absence of CCTV and modern security measures meant that Joan could evade detection. Today, Joan Hannington still stands by her choices an views her past not with shame, but as part of a larger narrative of survival.
Joan Hannington’s Journey To Redemption
Following the death of her husband Boisie, Joan Hannington confronted her past and chose a different path. The realization that money and crime did not equate to happiness motivated her to seek a life of legitimacy. “I just wanted to prove I could raise a good child in a straight world,” she stated.
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In 2002, Hannington published her memoir which marked a significant milestone in her journey toward reconciliation, particularly with her daughter Debbie. Moreover, Hannington expressed hope in rekindling their bond. In recent years, Hannington has also participated in promoting the ITV drama.
At the show’s launch, she spoke candidly about her past and the impact it had on her present. “I’m not complacent about it. I’ve led a certain life,” she remarked. At 68 years of age, she conveyed a sense of amazement at how far she has come. Despite her hopes, however, Hannington never managed to reconnect with her daughter.
Additionally, Joan continues to suffer from ulcers as a consequence of years spent swallowing diamonds. Her son, Benny Banks, is now a musician, and Joan resides peacefully as a grandmother with her two dogs, far removed from her former life of heists and high-stakes crime.
