A GANG of four who terrorised Newport city centre during a £75,000 armed robbery at the Halifax bank were today locked up.

A security guard was shot in cold blood by "sadistic" gunman Ryan Gamble as a Securicor van came under attack in a robbery planned with "military precision".

Ryan G Man' Gamble, 23, who pointed his gun at 56-year-old security guard, Roy Grey's head, chest and stomach before firing into his leg, was today given an indeterminate sentence equivalent to 20 years' jail at Cardiff crown court.

The gang's "ringleader" and getaway driver, Daniel Dan Dan' Nelson, 27, was given the same sentence.

Gamble was told he would have to serve eight years and 299 days, and Nelson told he would have to serve eight years and 311 days before they were eligible for parole.

Mikhail Macky' Sinclair, 20, who went into the bank with Gamble and coshed have-a-go hero, bank customer Wayne Jones, 43, with a cash box, was sentenced to 12 years' youth custody in a young offenders' institution.

The gang's lookout man, Leroy Munchy' Davidson, 22, was sentenced to ten years by the Recorder of Cardiff, Judge John Griffith Williams.

The gang all from Birmingham stole £75,000 during the raid carried out in front of terrified shoppers on the morning of April 11, 2005.

The judge said he was jailing Gamble and Nelson to protect the public from "significant risk of death or serious personal injury".

He said to Gamble: "You are capable of extreme violence."

He added: "I see no reason to distinguish between Nelson and Gamble. My real concern is that there was no need to shoot Mr Grey."

He said the reason Mr Grey was gunned down was to "terrorise the people passing by in the city and so that no-one would challenge them in their getaway".

The four were convicted after a six-week trial.

Gamble, Nelson, Sinclair and Davidson were all convicted of conspiracy to rob.

Gamble of Wilmcott Tower, Highgate, was also found guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to rob; possessing a firearm with criminal intent and wounding Mr Grey with intent, charges he denied.

Sinclair, of Tower Road, Erdington, had already admitted conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to rob but was convicted of wounding the guard with intent by the jury.

Nelson, of Wellesley Gardens, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to rob and wounding with intent.

Davidson, of Ensden Grove, was cleared of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to rob and wounding with intent.

After their convictions last month the court were told of the gang's previous convictions.

It heard how Nelson had a previous conviction for a car-jacking in 1996, in which he pulled a driver and passenger from a BMW car before driving off with one of the injured people hanging from the vehicle. He also has previous convictions for possessing offensive weapons, including a lock knife.

Gamble has 20 previous convictions, including threatening to kill a victim with a saw and a garden hoe, and for robbery.

Davidson had a previous conviction for murder following a knifepoint robbery quashed on appeal. The robbery conviction against him was upheld and he served four and a half years in custody.

Sinclair has seven convictions for 12 offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm after he spat at a woman and got into a fight with her.

Alan Lansbury, for Nelson, said his client was not a habitual offender.

Since being in custody Nelson had become an "observant" Muslim and was taking a more responsible attitude to his life, the court heard.

Maya Sikamd, representing Gamble, said he was still a young man and urged the judge not to pass a life sentence.

Saleema Mahmood, mitigating for Davidson, said he had been on the "fringe" of the robbery, adding that he was both naive and suggestible.

Francis Laird, for Sinclair, said his client was remorseful and added that he had admitted his guilt virtually from the outset after pleading to both charges.