Raid police 'offered cousin £1m'

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The cousin of one of seven men on trial over Britain's biggest cash robbery has told a court a policeman offered him £1m for information.

Jetmir Bucpapa's relative, Esmir Demaliaj, said the offer was made by a policeman named as Det Con Johnston.

"But I had nothing to tell, nothing to hide," he told the Old Bailey. "I'd already told them what I knew."

Mr Bucpapa denies all charges in connection with last February's £53m raid at a Securitas depot in Kent.

Mr Demaliaj told the court on Tuesday he had given a statement to an officer who had been behaving politely, but then the mood changed.

It was frightening. I probably got a little irrational, I cried Rebecca Bucpapa

"He was saying: 'You have got a lot of information to tell us, why don't you tell us?'. He kept offering me a lot of money.

"He said they would get me a £1m if I told them what they wanted."

The alleged offer was made some months after Albanian Mr Bucpapa, 26, was arrested days after the hold-up at the depot in Tonbridge.

Prosecutor David Jeremy asked Mr Demaliaj whether he took the £1m offer seriously.

"No, I didn't take it seriously, I was just shocked," he replied.

Mr Jeremy continued: "Do you believe that the police have millions of pounds lying around to give to witnesses?"

"They may have," came the reply.

Mr Bucpapa has denied that he was the robber nicknamed Hi Viz

Later, Mr Bucpapa's wife of six years, Rebecca, told of her terror when their home in Hadlow Road, Tonbridge, was raided by armed police.

She said she was in tears as she was dragged away while guns were pointed at her, police dogs barked and one officer shouted: "Don't panic".

"I have never been in trouble before or anything like that and I couldn't understand what was going on," she said.

"It was frightening. I probably got a little irrational, I cried. I didn't know what I was doing. You hear things, and accidents happen to people," Mrs Bucpapa said.

The defendants on trial include car salesman Stuart Royle, 48, of Maidstone, and his former business partner, John Fowler, 58, of Staplehurst, both in Kent.

Also charged are Mr Bucpapa; former depot worker Ermir Hysenaj, 27, of Crowborough, East Sussex; roofer Lea Rusha, 35, of Southborough, Kent; and garage owner Roger Coutts, 30, of Welling, south-east London.

They all deny conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to possess firearms.

Signwriter Keith Borer, 53, of Maidstone, Kent, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of handling stolen money.

The trial continues.