A LONDON gang member who terrorised staff during an armed robbery at a Poole jeweller’s shop has been locked up for eight years.

Oladapo Obadare, 20, was brought to justice yesterday after detectives found his blood on smashed display cabinets at Forum Jewellers on The Broadway, Broadstone.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard how four other members of the masked gang, who struck at 10.55 am on September 11, are still at large along with their £40,000 haul.

Prosecuting, Simon Jones said six employees had been in the shop during the raid, adding: “Three were on the shop floor; the others were in a rear office when a woman entered and dropped her mobile phone. As she picked it up she exchanged a look with a man who had his hood up and was wearing a scarf, before she left.

“Fearing a robbery was about to take place Natalie Perry went to run to the back of the shop to alert the others; as she did a silver handgun was pointed at her.

“Two men used sledgehammers to smash display cabinets before placing property in a bag. Another man was timing the robbery and shouting instructions.

“They got into a vehicle outside, with false plates, found abandoned nearby. This was a professionally planned commercial robbery.”

Forensic examiners linked Obadare, of no fixed abode, to blood stains found on broken glass recovered at the scene and he was arrested on Sept-ember 29.

In a statement, traumatised shop director Helen Molloy said she was convinced she was going to be shot after staff had been ordered to lie down at gunpoint.

Since the raid she hadn’t been able to relax, constantly worrying that the shop would be targeted again and still suffered constant flashbacks and nightmares.

One member of her staff said she thought it was the last time she would see her five-year-old son and another kept mentally reliving the raid.

Defending Obadare, who admitted robbery, Robert Grey said he was a London gang member and had agreed to take part in the raid after his mother had been threatened.

Mr Grey added: “He didn’t know there was a gun involved until he was in the shop and wants to say sorry to the staff.”

Imposing an eight-year sentence, with an extended four-year licence period, Judge Samuel Wiggs told Obadare: “Five people went into the jewellery shop and caused terror; somebody had either a firearm or an imitation firearm. You attacked the cabinets and £40,000 worth of jewellery was stolen which has not been recovered.”

Missing items include two shelves of Citizen watches and diamond rings.