A ONE-eyed armed robber who raided £15,000 at gunpoint from a Worcester travel agent 10 years ago has finally been locked up.

Former Armenian karate team coach Hayek Madoyan, 43, carried out the terrifying raid at Co-op Travel, in the High Street, in June 2006 as he toured the UK carrying out a string of armed raids.

Madoyan entered the UK illegally in 2001. Despite being recommended for deportation after twice being caught shoplifting, he took up a two-year career as an armed robber terrifying female foreign exchange cashiers from Worcester to Weymouth - stealing £82,500 in total.

He fled to Switzerland in 2008 but was traced and extradited in September 2015 to face the a four-week trial at Hull Crown Court.

He has now been convicted of 16 offences, including five charges of robbery, three of attempted robbery and eight of possessing an imitation firearm, between May 30, 2006 and December 8, 2007 and jailed for a total of 16 years.

DNA evidence from a blue baseball cap he wore during the armed robbery in Worcester and later discarded was said to be 'crucial' in securing his conviction.

During his brazen daylight raids, Madoyan would point a black pistol at female cashiers and demand money.

During the trial, Sally Brown, who was working at the Worcester Co-op travel store, recalled the raid on June 19, 2006.

She said Madoyan walked up and down in the shop looking at brochures before approaching the counter and saying: “I want money, ok, money.” Miss Brown replied “sorry” because she could not hear what he was saying through the glass panel.

Madoyan then said “be quiet,” instructing her to put her hands on the counter to avoid sounding the alarm

He said “I’ve got a gun” and Miss Brown looked and saw a gun in his right hand.

Madoyan said “it’s loaded” and “money” and Miss Brown took all the currency out of her draw and slid it under the glass counter.

Madoyan put the money into a sport bag and then said "pounds” and Miss Brown opened and emptied the draw containing sterling bank notes. When that was emptied he said “more” but Miss Brown showed him the empty plastic tray and said “there is no more.”

Madoyan then said: “Two minutes, ok wait two minutes” before walking off.

An audit showed he had stolen £14,848.

Madoyan lost an eye while fighting in the Armenian Army and his distinctive droopy eye was immediately remembered by cashiers he robbed.

Sentencing, Judge David Tremberg said that after exhausting all means to legally stay in the UK, Madoyan began a career of crime.

He said: “I am satisfied you were confident you could stay under the radar and against that background began a series of armed robberies.

"There has been evidence you had military experience and you used that to plan your offending in a cool, calm and calculated way.

"You targeted bureau de changes in small travel agencies where you expected to find relatively rich picking and the level of security which was much less than banks and building societies.

“I have no doubt you left a lasting emotional impact on your victims. You risked causing serious emotional harm and have done so."

Speaking after the case, DS Gary Peck of the Humberside Police Major Incident team said: “The UK and the countries abroad are a safer place after Mr Madoyan’s arrest.

"Justice has been a long time coming for Mr Madoyan who targeted females in Bureau de Changes across the country.

"You never forget events if you have been held up by a man with a gun and his trial has forced the women to relive those robberies."

* HOW A WORCESTER NEWS READER HELPED PUT ARMED ROBBER BEHIND BARS

WHEN Hayek Madoyan carried out his terrifying gunpoint raid at Co-op Travel in Worcester High Street he was wearing a distinctive blue baseball cap with an England motif on it.

But as he fled the scene along City Walls Road he made what was to prove a costly mistake and threw the cap away into bushes at the side of the road.

At 2pm the same day, Worcester News reader, Angela Bryant, was driving past with her husband, Stephen, and eight-year-old son and spotted the discarded cap lying in the gutter.

The family took the cap, but when they later read a front page article in the Worcester News about the raid at Co-Op Travel, they realised it matched the description of the one worn by the Madoyan and handed it in to police.

The court heard that Madoyan had made the mistake of throwing it is bushes as he fled. It had his DNA on it and this evidence was "crucial" in securing his convictions for a string of terrifying armed raids up and down the country.