Two on trial for Brit bank heist

LONDON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Lawyers gave opening statements Tuesday in the trial of two British men charged with a 2006 bank robbery that netted about $100 million.

A prosecutor charged that Lee Murray, a martial arts enthusiast, was the organizer of the heist at a Securitas cash depot in Tonbridge, Kent, The Daily Telegraph reported. Murray, who escaped to Morocco and remains in prison there, is trying to claim Moroccan citizenship.

The two men on trial are Paul Allen of Chatham, Kent, a close friend of Murray and also a cage fighter, and Michael Demetris, a hairdresser who lives in Bromley, Kent.

The robbers began by kidnapping the depot manager, using police disguises, and then holding him and his family hostage. Sir John Nutting, the prosecutor, said the thieves used a "cruel ruse" to lure his wife and children to a remote farm.

The manager, Colin Dixon, agreed to help the men get money from the depot. They got away with 53 million pounds.

Five other men have already been sentenced for their part in the robbery, while another remains at large.