A FORMER soldier chased armed robbers seconds after they raided a jewellery shop and stole several Rolex watches.

Russell Barrie, 63, was shopping in Banbury High Street, just after noon on Tuesday, when he saw a group of men entering Michael Jones Jewellery. One was carrying a baseball bat.

They smashed a display cabinet, grabbed jewellery and the watches, then ran off towards Butchers Row or Market Place.

Mr Barrie, of Churchill Way, Brackley, gave chase and caught up with one of the men, believed to be aged 20 to 25.

He said: “I caught him on the corner, but he wrestled himself free. I caught hold of his jacket but he was a good two inches taller than me – I’m 6ft.

“They jumped into a Volkswagen Golf.”

He said the gang was made up of one white woman – believed to be the getaway driver – and three black men, all believed to be in their early 20s.

The ex-Royal Signalman added: “I just went in without thinking. My wife wasn’t happy, but you just do it on the spur of the moment.

“It’s a pity a lot more people around didn’t grab them.”

Staff at Mothercare, which is opposite the jewellers, said they heard a smash and saw two men wearing hooded tops and balaclavas run through the alleyway towards Butchers Row and Market Place.

Shortly after the raid, police found the getaway car abandoned in Merton Street, close to Banbury railway station.

Officers are keeping an open mind as to whether the incident was related to an alleged sighting of a man carrying an axe in Butchers Row on Monday.

Insp Helen Roberts, of Banbury police, said: “It’s lucky no-one was injured. We’re taking this incident very seriously and will not tolerate this type of crime.

“I urge anyone who may have seen these people in the town centre or Merton Street, before or after the robbery occurred, to get in touch.”

Anyone with information should call Banbury police on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

banbury@oxfordmail.co.uk