Buckden armed robber caught by left-behind beanie hat

A sawn-off shotgun was used in the raid on Buckden High Street

An armed robber caught after leaving a beanie hat near a burnt-out getaway car has been jailed for eight years.

Charles Lee and an accomplice raided a shop in Buckden, Cambridgeshire, on 16 January, leaving with more than £8,000 in stamps and money.

Police found a hat with Lee's DNA on it caught in a barbed wire fence near the Vauxhall Mokka they made off in.

Lee, 54, of no fixed address, was jailed after his conviction for robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.

He was found guilty on Thursday by a jury following a three-day trial at Peterborough Crown Court.

'Incredibly traumatic'

The pair burst into the One Stop in Buckden High Street at about 17:00 GMT and demanded customers lay on the floor, police said.

Lee then threatened a man with a sawn-off shotgun before getting away.

The witness later said the person with the gun was wearing a grey balaclava and a beanie hat.

DC Kellymarie Harman said: "This was an incredibly traumatic incident for the victims who have found it hard to move on from what has happened.

"I hope that the sentencing reflects the seriousness of this offence and will give them some closure to put this behind them and carry on with their lives."

Police said a 44-year-old man from Bedford was also arrested in connection with the robbery, but released with no further action.