A man has been convicted of a series of dawn raids on newsagents in which terrified shop staff were bound with cable ties by balaclava-clad armed robbers.

Duncan Snape was one of two raiders who wielded axes, sledgehammers or baseball bats as they targeted eight shops over 13 months.

Thousands of pounds were stolen by the two men, who always hid their faces with balaclavas and wore boiler suit-type clothing.

Maidstone Crown Court heard all but one of the nine robberies and one attempted robbery occurred at newsagents owned by the Martin McColl chain.

One raid alone netted £5,000 and two stores, including McColl’s in The Alma, Gravesend, and McColl's in Admirals Walk, Lordswood, were robbed twice.

The raiders often struck while staff were bringing in the early morning newspapers from the back of their stores.

One manager told the court that when she was confronted by a raider she initially thought a joke was being played on her by a delivery driver and tried to push him aside.

But she soon realised the man was wearing a balaclava and armed with an axe.

Snape, 41, of Chapel Yard, Wandsworth, London, denied conspiracy to rob between February 2012 and May 2013, but was convicted by the jury at Maidstone Crown Court.

His partner in the raids was 42-year-old Robert Powsey, also known as Russell, of Peacock Rise, Walderslade.

He admitted the offence on a basis limited to him helping in the planning of some of the robberies, but it was not accepted by the prosecution and Judge Jeremy Carey will make a ruling on the matter.

Powsey will be sentenced with Snape after the hearing on a date to be fixed.

The jury was told Snape could be linked to the robberies through DNA on gloves and a balaclava found at Powsey's home, CCTV footage of one of the robbers removing his balaclava and mobile phone evidence that places Snape's phone in the area around the times of several raids.

One text message sent to his wife shortly after a robbery at a branch of Martin's in The Row, New Ash Green, on December 18 last year said: "Morning bubs. Safe and sound, not rich but enough to buy you a Christmas present."

However, Snape had earlier denied having any involvement in any of the robberies or the one attempted robbery.

Asked how his phone came to be in various locations within hours of the raids being committed, he said he was either camping to get away from the stress of his forthcoming wedding, or checking out possible sites for legal raves.

He said he would also accompany Powsey during his nightshifts as a recovery truck driver.

The same vehicle was recorded starting its engine at the time the robbery at McColl's in Gravesend ended on March 3 but Snape denied any knowledge of the raid.

A balaclava and gloves carrying traces of Snape's DNA were later found in a garage at Powsey's home.

"Morning bubs. Safe and sound, not rich but enough to buy you a Christmas present" - message said to be found on Snape's phone after a raid

Snape, who admitted during his evidence that he was involved in a robbery with Powsey in 1995, told the court it was normal for him to wear a balaclava in the course of his work for G Force Stage and Show Crew, as well as using cable ties.

"It's quite probably my balaclava," he said. "I have got quite a lot of hats. In the summer I usually wear caps because they are cheaper than sunglassses.

"During the winter I wear woolly hats. I will wear a balaclava rolled up if I'm setting up a festival which takes weeks to set up.

"If it's raining and cold you can't stop. We don't need to see who our faces are. We all know who wears hats and who doesn't."

He denied being the raider captured on camera removing his balaclava at the end of one of the robberies.

Asked by his lawyer Michael Haynes whether he had been involved in any of the offences Snape simply replied: "No, not at all."

The robberies carried out in 2012 were at The Co-Op in Parkwood, Rainham, on February 8, McColl's in Admirals Walk, Lordswood, on March 5 and April 29, McColl's in Orion Road, Rochester, on September 26, and Martin's in New Ash Green on December 18.

Raids carried out this year were at McColl's in The Singleton Centre in Ashford on February 11, McColl's at The Alma in Gravesend on March 3 and 31, and McColl's in St Martin's Square, Larkfield, on March 11.

The attempted raid occurred at Martin's newsagents in Parkwood Green, Rainham, on September 3 last year.