Cage fighter gets 18 years for £52m Securitas robbery

A cage fighter who was involved in a £53-million robbery at a security depot in Kent, was yesterday sentenced to 18 years behind bars.

Last month, Paul Allen, 31, pleaded guilty to three charges of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to possess firearms during the raid on a Securitas depot in Tonbridge in February 2006.

It was Britain's biggest ever cash robbery.

Passing sentence at Woolwich Crown Court in London, Judge David Penry-Davey said the robbery had been "meticulously prepared and ruthlessly executed".

In the wake of the raid, Mr Allen fled to Morocco with fellow cage fighter Lee Murray, who is believed to have masterminded the raid. There, the two lived a life of gambling and drug-taking before being arrested in Rabat several months later. He spent 20 months in a local jail before being extradited to Britain in January 2008.

A first trial at London's Old Bailey was abandoned when the jury said they were unable to reach a verdict after Mr Allen claimed he knew nothing about the robbery. But he later admitted his involvement as a retrial was due to begin at Woolwich Crown Court.

So far, police have recovered just £21 million from the robbery.

During the raid, the depot manager and his family were kidnapped and 14 members of staff were tied up at gunpoint.

Mr Allen admitted the crimes on the basis that he did not enter the depot and did not help to kidnap the manager and his family.

US director Darren Aronofsky is reportedly set to make a Hollywood film about the robbery.