AN ex-policeman who took a £1,000 bribe to become the "inside man" for one of Britain's biggest ever cash robberies was starting a 14 year jail term today.

Security van driver Graham Huckerby, aged 42, corruptly accepted the payment to let masked gunmen hijack his bullet and bomb-proof Securicor vehicle, kidnap him and steal £6.6 million.

The gunmen had left Huckerby masked in tape and handcuffed to railings during the raid before snatching £4 million in cash and £2 million in cheques -- at the time the largest ever cash haul taken in British criminal history.

But after the robbery in July 1995 at the Midland Bank Clearing Centre in Salford, Huckerby, who had financial problems, paid off debts, took several foreign holidays and bought his daughter expensive gifts. Despite arresting several suspects, the haul, snatched by the robbers in just 12 minutes, has never been recovered and police believe it could have been buried at secret locations.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Huckerby, of Clifton Road, Prestwich, was convicted of conspiracy to rob.

James Power, aged 60, of Hornby Street, Bury, an accomplice described as Huckerby's "handler", was also convicted of conspiracy to rob and was also jailed for 14 years.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Lakin told Huckerby: "You were the inside man. Securicor trusted you to handle its client's money and you breached that trust.

"You must bear heavy responsibility for what happened. There is no doubt that you knew precisely what you were doing and played your role." Huckerby failed to raise any alarm after masked men held up his van carrying weekend Manchester store takings while a colleague was inside a building and instead drove off into a cul-de-sac where he was bound and gagged.

Huckerby had worked for the Inland Revenue for 16 years before joining Greater Manchester Police in 1992. He was invalided out of the force the following year with an ankle injury but had got a job with Securicor.

Outside court, Detective Sergeant Allan Donoghue from Greater Manchester Police said: "We are very pleased with these significant convictions.

"Although this crime was carried out seven years ago, this proves our determination to track down and bring people who commit crimes like this to justice."

"But there is still an unclaimed reward of a quarter of a million pounds."