A MAN from Hull has been jailed for five years for his links to a terrifying raid at a castle in which priceless antiques were stolen.
Among the items taken were a gold ceremonial sword once belonging to Saddam Hussein and a suit of armour worn by Oliver Cromwell.
Hours after the heist, in which the 79-year-old owner of the castle was tied to a medieval chair and tortured in a five-hour ordeal, the goods were unloaded at a container storage site in Hull.
Jaroslaw Urbanski, 25, who was captured on CCTV directing the unloading operation at T&H Container Storage in Leads Road, east Hull, was jailed at Hull Crown Court after he admitted handling stolen goods.
Another Hull-based Eastern European, Devidas Bapkauskas, 27, was jailed for seven years and three months for firearms and drugs offences after being linked to a gun found in the container.
Police are continuing to hunt members of the seven-strong, "highly professional" Eastern European gang who carried out the aggravated burglary at Cliffe Park Hall near Macclesfield, which began just after 8pm on Friday, September 27, last year.
Some are believed to have fled the country.
TRAUMATIC ORDEAL: Brian Dalley with Oliver Cromwell's suit of armour.Although some of the antiques are priceless, the value of the goods – which represent a lifetime of collecting by victim Brian Dalley – has been put at £200,000.
Mr Dalley, who was not insured, had built the collection as an alternative to a pension or savings, and says he has been left virtually penniless.
The thieves, who packed the goods in bubble wrap, found so much loot they also stole Mr Dalley's van to cart it away.
Seven men, wearing green tops and black trousers, are believed to have taken part in the raid.
The next day, Sunday, September 29, seven men were seen unloading the haul at the container site.
Police searched the site on October 17, recovering some of the antiques and a gun. They also found "prolific quantities" of false Lithuanian passports.
Urbanski, of Heathfield Square, west Hull, was arrested on May 20 after a review of the site's CCTV.
John Thackray, defending, said there was "nothing to say the handler knew of the circumstances of the aggravated burglary".
Sentencing Urbanski, Recorder Bryan Cox QC told him: "A very short time after that offence (the burglary) was committed you were one of a group seen on CCTV to be unloading items taken from that burglary into a container many miles away in Hull.
"I'm told that the number of men involved in the burglary was seven, and you were one of a group of seven engaged in unloading the van.
"You must have known that the items you were unloading were likely to have come from a professionally planned burglary.
"That must have been apparent to you, not only from the nature of the items, but from the circumstances in which you were handling them. I can't find that you were aware necessarily of the level of violence deployed against Mr Dalley, but it is certain you must have been aware that this must have been a planned and professionally committed robbery."
Mr Dalley is now appealing for anyone with information about any of the items which have not been recovered to contact police.
The ornate sword, which was studded with opals, is still missing. Most of Cromwell's armour has been returned, but is missing an arm and is worthless unless complete.
Other missing pieces include an original painting of a child called Time For A Nap, a 14ft elephant gun, an Indian matchlock gun, Scottish broadswords and an Indian snake horn with ruby eyes.
Call police with information on 101.
• Taped to a medieval chair and tortured but 79-year-old victim was determined to survive and escape
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