IT is four years since a one-eyed armed robber who took £15,000 at gunpoint from a Worcester travel agent 10 years previously was locked up.

Former Armenian karate team coach Hayek Madoyan, pictured, aged 43 at the time of his trial, 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 a four-week trial at Hull Crown Court.

He was 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 June19, 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 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 pickings and the level of security which was much less than banks and building societies.”

Worcester News readers played a key part in putting the 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.

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.