Ian Jowett entered Tui’s branch in North Street, Brighton, in October 2018. He approached the counter with a piece of paper hand-written with the message: “Pass the money, I am not joking. I have a gun pointed at you, don’t mess about”.

A member of staff, believing it was a genuine threat, handed over a quantity of cash.

Sussex Police said enquiries revealed the man had entered a nearby pub shortly after the incident, where he left his bag containing personal papers including his birth certificate. It also contained some rolled-up paper, believed to be used to imitate a gun in his pocket.

Jowett, 55 and from Peterborough, left the country a few days later, boarding a ferry from Hull to Rotterdam. He committed similar offences in the Netherlands and Belgium, where he was imprisoned for robbery.

After serving his sentence, he returned to the UK where he was arrested and charged with the Tui robbery.

He pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.

The investigating officer, Detective Constable Dan Aubrey-Smith, said: “This has been a long and complex investigation – not helped by Jowett’s attempts to evade capture – but one which we were determined to see through.”