An armed robber shot a guard during a security van raid, a court heard.

John Dunlop, 43, of Hove, shot Anthony Holloway in the leg after the Securicor guard refused to hand over a cash box containing £25,000, the Old Bailey heard.

The court heard Dunlop was arrested by detectives after his wife Philippa Greenway walked out on their violent relationship and told police about his involvement in the raid.

Officers then raided his Hove flat and discovered a shotgun and a small loaded revolver.

Although the gun used in the raid was not found, a single cartridge taken from the bedroom matched the bullet removed from Mr Holloway's leg, the court heard yesterday.

Dunlop met Ms Greenway four months before the armed robbery, which took place outside the Halifax in High Street, Hornchurch, Essex, in August 1999.

He took her to a flat in Hove, which he called his "secret place" and the couple also spent time at a house in Hastings.

Six days before the robbery, the couple were married in a civil ceremony in Hove under the name of Pullinger, a surname the defendant preferred to use.

The court heard Ms Greenway told police how on the day of the robbery Dunlop had returned home in a red Toyota Carina used in the heist and that he had confessed all to her.

John Price, prosecuting, said: "He said it had gone wrong. That the guard had resisted and he had shot him in the leg. He had physically vomited when telling her this."

He said Dunlop then spent the evening counting out the proceeds of the robbery and gave her a few £20 notes.

The court heard a mouth swab from Dunlop was used to take a DNA profile, which matched a sample taken from the Toyota.

Dunlop, of no fixed address, denies robbery, possession of a firearm, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and handling stolen goods.

The trial continues.