Robber poses as police decoy

Cigarettes and tobacco were stolen

Robbers used a policeman's outfit to trick their way into a Wiltshire cash-and-carry and escape with £34,000 worth of cigarettes, a court heard.

The raiders set off the burglar alarm at Booker's warehouse in Trowbridge before tricking their way in once the police had investigated and left.

The gang bound, beat and gagged an employee before kidnapping him as they escaped, Swindon Crown Court was told.

Wayne Lodder, 26, Robert Tyler, 42, of Southmead in Bristol and David Little, 42, of Cadbury, deny charges of robbery and kidnapping.

Looking through a spyhole, he [Mr Wardell] saw a person who he believed... to be a policeman

Laurence Quilan, prosecuting

Christopher Quilan, prosecuting, said the three men watched as the police attended the initial alarm call.

After the police had left, a raider dressed as a constable knocked on the door of the warehouse and was allowed in by the 31-year-old assistant manager, Laurence Wardell.

As a keyholder, Mr Wardell had been called out twice that night to investigate burglar alarms and had been left alone by police to lock up after the second alarm.

"Looking through a spyhole, he [Mr Wardell] saw a person who he believed, because of his dress, to be a policeman, Mr Quilan said.

Gaffer tape

"That would not be a complete surprise, seeing as he had just seen two policeman leave.

"When he opened the door, what happened next was a complete surprise - two men burst in wearing dark overalls, black balaclavas and gloves followed by the 'policeman'."

The bogus policeman, who also donned a balaclava, was armed with a baseball bat and one of the others brandished a large bowie knife, the court heard.

Mr Wardell was tied up with gaffer tape and repeatedly beaten with the bat after trying to hide the keys to the van the robbers wanted to steal.

Passing ambulance

He was then thrown into the back of the van with the cigarettes and tobacco before being driven miles away and dumped in an isolated lane.

Eventually he hopped 40 yards with his legs taped together to a nearby road where he flagged down a passing ambulance, Mr Quilan added.

The incident took place on 15 November 1999.

The case continues.