The behaviour of armed raiders who robbed a delivery vehicle in Rooley Lane was truly chilling.

One victim believed he was about to be shot after an attacker pointed a gun at him while coldly counting up to five.

The robbers warned another man: “We know where you live. We’ll put a bullet in you if you go to the police.”

Yesterday a court heard how all the victims would be haunted by this “nasty, unpleasant and callous” robbery for some time to come.

Yet none of this would have happened if an insider had not passed on information to the gang.

Nassar Khan had been helping with deliveries for two to three weeks, was in the lorry on that day, and liaised with the robbers by mobile phone before they struck.

He admitted his part in the robbery at an earlier hearing and was yesterday given a jail term of eight years.

That is a considerable sentence, but one which is wholly-justified in the circumstances, because not only did he play a full part in this dreadful crime, but in doing so he was also guilty of a despicable breach of the trust placed in him by his colleagues and employer.

It is comforting to note that the courts seem to take a similar view.