Police focus on 1985 Cromford robbery accomplices

Murray admitted robbery and causing grievous bodily harm with intent

Police say they will leave "no stone unturned" in tracing the two accomplices of a robber jailed for an armed raid in Derbyshire 25 years ago.

Alan Murray, 59, was given a 10-year sentence on Thursday for his part in the robbery at Lloyds Bank in Cromford.

During the raid, a security guard was hit in the face with a gun.

Det Cons Derek Ellis, of Derbyshire Police, said Murray's conviction was "just a part of what we're going to finish".

The force said Murray and two others made off from the bank in September 1985 with £7,500 - the equivalent of £17,000 today.

Security guard John Power, 61 at the time, suffered serious injuries after being hit in the face with the gun, while the weapon was also pointed at a bank teller, who feared he would be shot.

Fingerprint database

Murray was caught after fingerprints found at the scene, and on paperwork used to hire the getaway car, were matched to a new national database.

Detectives travelled to his home in Pilmoor, York, to arrest him and he later admitted robbery, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing an imitation gun.

Officers have now turned their attention to the two other people involved.

Det Cons Ellis said: "I know those people are still out there, I know they're still alive, and we will leave no stone unturned in trying to trace them.

"If anyone out there has any information, if they could pass it to us, it will be treated with the strictest confidence.

"We're confident that we'll catch up with them eventually. There's information that we're now acting on and it's still the early stages.

"We don't see yesterday as anything other than just part of what we're going to finish."