Former Armenian karate coach and soldier turned armed robber jailed for 16 years for Darlington travel agency raid

Former Armenian karate team coach Hayek Madoyan, 43, entered the UK illegally in 2001 claiming asylum. 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 Darlington to Weymouth - stealing £82,500.

Dawson and Sanderson in 2006. Photo: Stuart Boulton

He carried out brazen daylight raids on travel agencies with Bureau de Change offices demanding money while he pointed a black pistol. In some cases the women cashiers bravely refused to hand over cash - other leapt behind metal filing cabinets fearing they would be shot.

He fled to Switzerland in 2008 fearing he would be caught. He 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. Viktor Gailius, 54, of Northampton, was found guilty of one charge of converting criminal property by sending £9,000 via Western Union to relatives of Madoyan. He was jailed for nine months.

A CCTV still released by police of the wanted man in 2006

The court heard Madoyan robbed Valerie Lythgoe a travel clerk at Dawson and Sanderson Travel Agents, in Skinnergate, Darlington, of £10, 247 on December 15 2006.

Miss Lythgoe noticed a male enter the shop at 10.20am and walk to the bureau de change counter. She asked him: “Do you want currency?” He replied “Yes” but did not turn towards her.

Miss Lythgoe left her desk and walked through the door into the exchange and said: “What type of currency do you want?” Madoyan mumbled and said “sssh” putting his fingers to his lips. At this point Miss Lythgoe realised the man had a gun in his right hand which was pointing towards her.

He whispered: “I want your cash.”

Miss Lythgoe opened the drawer and handed over the two largest bundles of notes in Euros and US Dollars.

Madoyan whispered “all” looking at the other notes in the drawer.

Miss Lythgoe removed the other money and a couple of loose travellers cheques but the male said “No cheques” Madoyan said “the safe, you open the safe” Miss Lythgoe repeated that she did not have the code and said the safe was on a time delay, but he repeated his demand.

At that stage Miss Lythgoe said loudly: “I don’t have the code…the girl out there has the code.” Madoyan then said: “you get the girl” and Miss Lythgoe asked Rachel Donnelly, her colleague, to go to the foreign exchange.

As she did so she mouthed to her “he’s got a gun” and made a gun shape with her fingers. Miss Donnelly went into the office and opened the safe.

Once the safe was open Miss Donnelly removed the cash tin which contained only a bag of coins and handed it to Madoyan. He said: “No coins, just cash”. Miss Lythgoe told him there was no more cash.

Madoyan pointed to the safe and said: “The tin in the safe” and so Miss Lythgoe took out the box and showed him it contained only travellers cheques. Madoyan said: “Sshh, I leave now be quiet” and walked out of the shop. An audit revealed £10, 247 was taken during the robbery.

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

He only fled back to Europe when police linked the spree of armed robberies to an olive-skinned, man with a lazy prosthetic eye and put his picture on BBC's Crimewatch UK programme in 2008.

Crown barrister Ian Mullarkey told the jury Madoyan was a brazen liar never disguising his identity and fabricating his involvement with a man called George from MI5.

He said in two cases the women were pregnant and a series of victim impact statements showed there had been serious consequences for some. One was unable to return to work, others took up to four months to return to working in bureau de changes. Some suffered nightmares, took time off work and still find it difficult speaking to strange men with foreign accents.

Barrister Jeremy Lindsay, for Madoyan, said: “One can appreciate the nature of the experience for the women in this case was highly frightening in any circumstances.

"It is precious little consolation to say that only one witness had to have counselling after the robberies. He will be regarded as a foreign national who is having considerable difficulties in a custodial setting and will be here for some time to come.”

Sentencing Judge David Tremberg told Madoyan: "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.

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

“You have tried to fight the overwhelming case against you with the same audacity you showed in your crimes. Your defence was more in keeping with crime fiction than the hard reality that you had been set up by the British security services.”

Speaking after the case, Detective Sgt 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. We initially started with 31 robberies to look into, but because of the passage of time and charging criteria necessary for a conviction decided to present eight to a jury.

"You never forget event if you have been held up by a man with a gun and his trial has forced the women to relive those robberies. Some showed great bravery in dealing with him when you bear in mind he had a gun.”

Both men will face investigations under the Proceeds of Crime Act to claim back their ill-gotten gains.