by Keith Hunt

A company director caught with almost £1 million in his car, some of which came from the £53 million Securitas robbery in Tonbridge, has been jailed for three years nine months for money laundering.

Of the Clingfilm-wrapped cash in the boot of Ian Bowrem's Mercedes, £380,000 was linked to the terrifying February 2006 raid.

Sentencing Bowrem, 46, at Maidstone Crown Court, a judge said: "It is not every day of the week that car boots have a content of this kind found in them."

Some of the money, he said, was found to be linked "to the infamous security depot robbery".

Bowrem, of Ottery St Mary, Devon, admitted concealing criminal property.

He asked for two offences of possessing criminal property, involving almost 40,000 Euros, to be taken into consideration.

The cash was found after he met another man in a pub car park on the A316 just outside Chertsey, Surrey, on June 23 2006.

Julian Evans, prosecuting, said police officers saw Bowrem's Mercedes was parked next to a BMW. The boot of the Mercedes was open and the two men were talking.

They then drove off separately. About 15 minutes later, officers stopped Bowrem on the M25 heading north.

The boot was searched and inside a plastic crate was £790,200. A sports holdall contained a further £199,980.

The BMW was stopped later on the M3 heading west. In the rear passenger footwell was £5,000 in cash.

Bowrem claimed the money in his car was the deposit for the sale of a property in Spain. He had arranged it, he said, through his company in Dubai.

Mr Evans said the £990,180 seized was part of the proceeds from the Securitas raid involving seven armed robbers. The £380,000 was made up of new £50 notes.

Louise Sweet, defending, said Bowrem had no idea of the true origins of the money. "It was just an error of judgement," she said.

"He didn't live a dishonest or criminal life. Maybe he could not accept he had been so stupid."