VIDEO footage said to show robbers staking out the home of a Securitas depot manager before the £53 million raid has been shown to jurors at the Old Bailey.

The prosecution claim gang members attempted to film Colin Dixon, 52, and his wife Lynn, 46, before they were kidnapped on February 21 last year.

The court has heard that Mrs Dixon and her child were abducted from their home in Herne Bay by robbers masquerading as policemen who told Mrs Dixon that her husband had been involved in a car accident.

It was said that the Securitas manager had been kidnapped hours earlier while driving home from the depot.

The jury was shown a recording downloaded from a computer found at the home of suspect Lea Rusha in Lambersart Close, Southborough, near Tunbridge Wells.

The footage allegedly shows a reconnaissance trip to Herne Bay on January 31, last year.

Forensic scientist Simon Barnes, describing the recording, said: “The footage began with what appeared to be from a camera similar to a camcorder.

“It shows a male sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle in a row of terraced houses. A female is then heard talking and she talks in an accent which appears to be eastern European.

“At one point I could see a vague image of the male wearing a baseball cap. The female exits the vehicle and walks along and at one point I saw she was white and had blonde hair.

“As she walks along, she pauses as if she doesn’t know where she is going. She walks to a house and knocks on the door but there is no reply.

"I saw she was chewing her finger as if she was nervous and her nails appeared to be long and possibly false. She knocks on the door again and still no reply and then she knocks on the window before she walks away.”

The jury watched as the female returned to the car and apologised to the male for her lack of success.

She was heard to say: “Sorry, I don’t really think she was in because I am sure she would have answered. I didn’t do it too much in case it looked suspicious.”

The man replied: “That’s ok.”

The prosecution claim Rusha was the man in the vehicle, which was a VW Golf belonging to suspect Jetmir Bucpapa

Sir John Nutting, prosecuting, said: “The clear purpose of the visit was to make a video recording of the address and of Mrs Dixon.

“The conspirators had gone to considerable trouble to ensure that the video film would record what they wanted to show. They adapted a bag by cutting into the material and mounting the hidden camera on cardboard.

“The female then carried the bag over her shoulder. Part of the reconnaissance involved knocking on Mrs Dixon’s door and secretly videoing her.

“No doubt the purpose was to show what she and her house looked like for the benefit of those who intended later to kidnap her.

“What is sure is that the female was severely vexed at her failure.”

The court had heard how police later traced the VW Golf, which was found to have a satellite navigation system installed with a spot near the Dixon’s address stored in the memory.

The trial continues.