Masking a crime

By Chris Summers
BBC News

An efit of one of the Securitas robbers - he wore a false beard

Greasepaint, false hair, latex and baby bottle teats to splay nostrils - just some of the materials used to make prosthetic disguises for the Securitas robbers. How hard is it to use make-up to disguise your identity?

Prostheses - artificial body parts - have been used by make-up artists for decades.

How could Leonard Nimoy have created the character of Mr Spock without those famous ears? And Nicole Kidman felt a fake nose was central to her performance as Virginia Woolf in the 2002 film The Hours.

Hollywood's use of prosthetics dates from the make-up mastery of Lon Chaney Sr in the 1920s. But techniques have advanced and today numerous TV sketch shows rely on prostheses to create bizarre characters.

Most people will not spot even a fake nose if it is applied properly Lisa Cavalli-Green

But the Securitas robbery - which netted £53m from a depot in Kent in February 2006 - was the first time such disguises have been used in such a high-profile crime in the UK. Lisa Cavalli-Green, the award-winning make-up artist behind Little Britain, says the idea of criminals using prostheses is intriguing.

The robbers' plan involved two of their number posing as police officers to abduct depot manager Colin Dixon and his family. But how could they conceal their identities without raising suspicion?

Balaclavas or masks were out of the question but the gang thought they had hit on the perfect answer - prostheses.

So they recruited make-up artist Michelle Hogg - who had done a basic course at the London College of Fashion - to create a variety of disguises.

In pictures: Securitas raid

Whether Miss Hogg knew she was creating disguises for robbers remains unclear. The prosecution dropped charges against her when she turned "Queen's evidence" to testify against the accused, and she is now in the witness protection programme.

Ms Cavalli-Green says that most people don't even notice. "Unless you have a reason to be suspicious, most people really will not spot a false moustache or even a fake nose if it is applied properly."

But the controlled environment of theatre, film and television is one thing, and a raid another entirely. A make-up expert told the court that the disguises would have needed "serious touching up".

Ms Cavalli-Green agrees. "When we put prosthetics on people during filming, we are there all day constantly touching up. The edges start to peel off after a while and it's worse when it's hot. Stress can also make people sweat, and I imagine they were under stress during the robbery - and sweat breaks down the glue which can make things come off."

Other uses

Miss Hogg made the masks shortly before the robbery, and was asked to come back several times for touch-ups after the gang delayed their raid.

A bald cap transforms comedian Lucy Montgomery

She told the court how she had spent several days measuring the robbers, creating bald caps, face moulds, false noses, fake beards and wigs.

Detectives found pots marked "wrinkle stipple" and "nose and scar wax" in the wheelie bin outside her flat, as well as scraps of latex, spirit gum for applying wigs, and hair shavings used to make stubble.

Ms Cavalli-Green says such products are common, with latex, gelatine and silicone used to change the shape and size of the nose, ears and chin.

Make-up artist Wendy Olver adds that changing facial hair can make a huge difference to someone's appearance, "as do eyebrows and hairline".

She recounts the case of Terry Sinclair, a drug dealer from her native New Zealand, who sneaked out of the country with a false passport and a prosthetically disguised face. He died in Parkhurst prison in 1983. She has also heard of make-up artists being approached by people who want to fake insurance claims by creating or exaggerating bruising or scarring.

Those with scars, burns or other disfiguring marks sometimes use theatrical make-up as "cosmetic camouflage".

And morticians also use nose and scar wax - a flesh-coloured putty - to repair facial wounds or blemishes, especially if relatives want an open casket at a funeral.