ONE of Lancashire’s most wanted men has finally seen British justice catch up with him – seven years on – after a life on the ‘Costa del Crime’.

Armed robber Andrew Moran, who held up a security van outside Colne’s Asda store, spent the majority of that time on the Spanish coast after jumping from the dock at Burnley Crown Court in 2009.

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But the 33-year-old, who manhandled a security guard during the £25,000 raid, was recaptured by the National Crime Agency following a dramatic arrest at a villa on the Costa Blanca in 2013.

He was found with a cache of weapons and has been serving a six-year sentence, imposed by a court in Madrid.

There have been protracted extradition proceedings, which saw him returned to the UK last year.

Now Moran, originally from Salford, has pleaded guilty via a video link to escaping from lawful custody when he appeared before Judge Norman Wright, who conducted his 2009 trial during which he ran from the court.

He is currently being held at the high-security Belmarsh Prison, from where he will travel to the north-west to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on March 24.

Moran is still to be sentenced for the Colne robbery - and could be facing a term of up to 15 years. He should be facing a consecutive sentence for the escape offence.

Moran vaulted from the dock at Burnley after Judge Wright announced he was going to remand Moran and his co-defendants in custody while a jury deliberated on their verdicts.

He was last seen in the town, having run from the Hammerton Street courthouse, near the Town Mouse pub in Royle Road.

His disappearance led to him frequently appearing close to the top of several ‘most wanted’ lists issued by crimefighters.

An abortive attempt to detain Moran failed in 2012 after he managed to evade law enforcement agents on a Spanish motorway.

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said: “I am delighted that this individual has finally been brought to justice thanks to the efforts of Lancashire Police and other agencies.

“He is back behind bars where he belongs and I hope that the courts recognise the seriousness of the original offence and the fact he has tried to evade justice for so long.”

Cllr Joe Cooney, Conservative group leader on Pendle Council, who also represents Colne’s Vivary Bridge ward, said: “This sends out a message that if people want to come to East Lancashire and commit these kinds of crimes then they will eventually be caught and dealt with.”