A fearless cashier at a Cardiff travel agent was confronted by a gun-wielding armed robber – and laughed in his face.
Rebecca Nielson was working in First Choice in the city centre when Armenian Army veteran Hayek Madoyan came in and told her: “This is a raid.”
But his thick accent meant Ms Nielson thought he was asking “What is the rate?” so she gave him a compliments slip to write down what he was saying.
Ex-karate coach Madoyan, 43, picked up a shop Bic pen and wrote: “This is armed robbery. Hand over all the cash.”
She said having placed the robbery note against the window he said: “Now do you understand?”
She told a court she laughed and said “No” before activating the store’s panic alarm.
With that Madoyan produced a handgun and demanded: “Hand it over now.” Ms Nielson said: “I said can’t give you the money. It’s not mine.”
Feared being shot
He fled as the police approached and later fled to Switzerland before spending years on the run.
Madoyan 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 throughout Britain – stealing £82,500 in the process.
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 cashiers bravely refused to hand over cash while others leapt behind metal filing cabinets fearing they would be shot.
Madoyan 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 where 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.
Dumped note in bin
Describing her ordeal on July 26, 2006, Ms Nielson said she was working at First Choice in Cardiff city centre when the attempted robbery took place.
She said she was staffing the bureau de change when a stocky European man with a cap, mousey hair, and olive skin approached her and mumbled: “This is a raid.”
South Wales police officer Sergeant Geoff Lewis said he was called to the travel agent at 11.45am and pursued Madoyan in the direction he was believed to have fled but was unable to find him.
Sgt Lewis searched bins along the route and found Madoyan’s discarded note, written on the compliments slip, along with the black pen used to write it.
Madoyan, who lost an eye while fighting in the Armenian military, 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.
Prosecutor Ian Mullarkey told the jury Madoyan was a brazen liar whose actions had had serious consequences.
In two cases the women were pregnant while a series of victim impact statements showed how the experiences had affected the women involved.
One was unable to return to work while others took up to four months to return to working in bureau de changes. Some suffered nightmares and took time off work and still find it difficult speaking to strange men with foreign accents.
'Cool, calm, and calculated'
Jeremy Lindsay, appearing 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.”
Judge David Tremberg told Madoyan he was satisfied that after he had exhausted all means to legally stay in the UK he 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.
“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.”
He jailed him for 16 years.
'Great bravery' of victims
Speaking after the case Detective Sergeant, 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.”
He added: “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 recover money related to their offences.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/one-eyed-armed-robber-pointed-11697854
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