Crook in Britain's biggest £53million raid could walk free despite paying just £1

A crook who took part in Britain’s biggest robbery could be out of jail in weeks – after paying back just £1 of the £53million loot.

Lea Rusha, 48, is up for parole after serving his minimum 15 years of a life sentence for the Securitas raid in 2006.

It can go ahead even though he’s only ever coughed up £1 of the loot to comply with a 2010 confiscation order.

A source said: “Lee can’t wait to get out. He’s got plenty of life to live”.

Dad-of-two Rusha, of Southborough, Kent, worked as a hod carrier and was a kickboxer before the robbery.

Do you remember the raid? Join the discussion in the comment section

CCTV images show how the 53 million Securitas raid in Tonbridge, Kent, in February last year was carried out by masked men carrying guns (PA)

More than £30million is missing from the raid on a Bank of England cash depot in Tonbridge, Kent. Of 14 crooks involved only seven have ever been convicted.

A court found that Rusha’s share was likely to have been among £21million found shortly after the robbery.

He and cage fighter Lee Murray posed as a police officers to abduct depot manager Colin Dixon, his wife and their child during the raid.

Lea Rusha teamed up with cage fighter Lee Murray as the pair posed as police officers during the raid (Getty Images)

Lea Rusha had worked as a roofer (PA)

Rusha was disguised using prosthetics and a fake ginger beard.

CCTV showed the balaclava-clad gang armed with a shotgun and an AK-47 assault rifle threatening to kill the depot’s 14 staff.

Rusha was among five men convicted of the crime in a 2008 Old Bailey trial. In 2016, Paul Allen – described as the enforcer to raid mastermind and cage fighter Lee Murray – was freed despite handing back just £420 of £1.9million he is thought to have pocketed.

In 2016 Paul Allen was freed despite handing back just £420 of £1.9million (AFP/Getty Images)

Get all the latest news straight to your inbox. Sign up to one of the Mirror's newsletters

Murray is now serving 25 years in a Moroccan jail for drug dealing.

Rusha said he had been at home with a friend eating a curry on the night of the robbery.

But at the trial he was unable to explain the discovery at his home of balaclavas, a nightvision scope, a revolver, shotgun cartridges, overallslike those used by the robbers, plans of the depot, and a surveillance tape of the Dixons’ home.

Asked why he thought he was in the dock accused of taking part in the robbery, Rusha blamed “bad luck”.

A source said his parole hearing was scheduled for the end of November.

A board spokesman said: “Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.