Securitas raider's taunt from Moroccan jail

Lee Murray is believed to be the robber known as "Stopwatch", seen on CCTV

A cage-fighter who was jailed for 25 years for his part in the £53m raid on a depot in Kent has boasted he could released within the year.

It was claimed during the trial of other gang members that Lee Murray was the "mastermind" behind the Securitas robbery in Tonbridge in 2006.

Murray, who has Moroccan nationality, is serving his sentence in Morocco were he fled after the raid.

He makes the claims during an interview with a martial arts fighting website.

During a text exchange with Middleeasy.com Murray brands the officers who investigated the raid as "dumb English police" and says that Moroccan jail is "better than being in a UK prison any day".

He adds: "I truly believe I'm gonna be out sooner rather than later.

"Morocco is the land of unexpected, they could come knock on my door tomorrow and say you're going home. If someone knows the king and puts in a good word for me, like when I [will be] released."

Kent Police believe the interview is genuine and have condemned his comments.

Det Supt Mick Judge said: "Lee Murray tries to glamorise himself.

"I think what's sadder is that people do these interviews to glamorise it, to glamorise what he did."

Murray had his sentence increased from 10 years to 25 years at a hearing in Rabat in November after the prosecution appealed.

Kent Police said lawyers had argued that Murray's sentence was too lenient.

Kidnapped depot manager

The Moroccan authorities refused to extradite Murray to the UK for trial but worked with Kent Police on his prosecution in the north African country.

The Securitas gang kidnapped depot manager Colin Dixon, his wife Lynn and their young child and held them hostage while they robbed the premises in Tonbridge.

Heavily-armed robbers trussed up 14 terrified employees with cable ties and threatened to kill them if they disobeyed orders.

Five men were convicted of kidnap, robbery and firearms charges in 2008.