A Salford armed robber who went to “extreme lengths” to avoid justice has finally been jailed more than four years after going on the run from police.
Andrew Moran, 33, was one of Britain’s most wanted fugitives.
He was finally caught in a joint operation by armed Spanish and British police at his luxury villa in Alicante in May 2013.
In May 2005 Moran and his criminal associate, Stephen Devalda, 29, held up a Royal Mail van outside Asda in Colne, Lancashire.
A handgun, machete and baseball bat were used during the £25,000 raid in which a security guard was brutally injured.
On trial for armed robbery, he had escaped from Burnley Crown Court in 2009 by audaciously leaping over the dock and fleeing through the front door.
Moran made his way to Spain where he continued his criminal enterprise.
Spanish police found handguns, a machete and 60 rounds of ammunition, when they raided his villa in Calpe, Alicante.
Forged Lithuanian, Polish and Irish passports and IDs were later discovered by British investigators.
In 2014 Moran was sentenced to six years and six months imprisonment in Spain for drugs, firearms and road traffic offences committed in Spain while on the run.
Read: Britain’s FBI sting six in Spain for gang violence
He faced sentencing back in the UK on Thursday 31 March.
The judge handed him a fixed-term prison sentence of more than eight years at Liverpool Crown Court.
He will only be considered for release once this indeterminate sentence has been served and he can prove it is safe for him to be released.
The detective who investigated the 2005 armed robbery and has been involved in the decade-long bid to bring Moran to justice welcomed the sentence.
Detective Inspector Simon Cheyte, of Lancashire Constabulary, said: “This is an extremely satisfying result.
“I have been involved in this investigation from the very start and was actually one of the first police officers to arrive on the scene in May 2005 when the report of a robbery was received.
“Andrew Moran is obviously a very dangerous and resourceful individual who has gone to extreme lengths to evade capture.
“My small team and myself have worked extremely hard over a long period of time to bring the perpetrators of this violent robbery to justice and it is very rewarding to see Andrew Moran starting a significant prison sentence today.
“I would like to thank everyone, be they members of the public or members of any law enforcement agency both in the UK and abroad who have contributed to this moment and they should be very proud of what they have assisted in achieving.”
Stephen Devalda was jailed at Preston Crown Court in November 2011 for nine years and eight months for conspiracy to commit robbery and seven months for breaching bail.
