Deacon's robber Jbril Ogulana has pleaded guilty to a firearms offence in relation to the terrifying raid on the jewellery store last summer.

The 22-year-old Londoner had initially pleaded not guilty to being in possession of the imitation pistol which had been adapted to fire live rounds.

But he has changed his plea and accepted having the weapon, which though a blank firing gun, had been modified so it could fire live ammunition with lethal force.

He now faces a lengthy jail term for his part in the raid where a member of staff was tied up after the gun wielding robbers entered the store dressed as decorators.

Ogulana had pleaded guilty to the robbery when he appeared before Swindon crown court in August this year.

He was one of a gang of four raiders who carried out the daylight raid on Tuesday August 1 last year.

The gang were armed with an 8mm blank cartridge firing BB gun which had been modified to discharge a projectile with lethal force.

Ogulana, of Silver Street, Edmonton, north London, has now pleaded guilty to robbery and having a firearm while committing an offence.

The robbers who made off with tens of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery and watches from the Wood Street store.

Four men wearing decorator's overalls went into the shop at 2.45pm and made two customers lie on the floor.

They also locked two women members of staff in a room at the store while a third member of staff was tied up during the terrifying raid.

The robbers made off with the valuable haul of jewellery as well as 14 Rolex watches and cash from the tills.

A member of staff managed to hit an alarm button after they left but, despite armed police heading to the scene, the group managed to get away.

The police helicopter was scrambled to try to find them and a member of public later spotted a black handgun and paint splattered overalls dumped just off Bath Road.

It is believed Ogulana was caught after his DNA was found during forensic examination of items recovered after the raid.

The defendant, who appeared before a judge earlier this year under the name Wanabogunlana, is the only man to have been convicted in relation to the raid.

Adjourning the case to Friday November 30 Judge Lester Boothman told him "There will be a custodial sentence inevitably in this case."