An armed robber threatened to kill a businessman and his daughter in their home before raiding a safe containing some of the rarest ancient coins in the world.

The Wimbledon businessman is offering £25,000 to help catch the shotgun-wielding burglar, who took half a million pounds worth of precious coins and a smaller amount of jewellery.

Valuable coins stolen date back to 600BC in Lydia in Greece, span across 100 Roman emperors and the Byzantine empire, through to medieval England and last century.

The father-of-five from the Parkside area, who was tied up next to his daughter, claimed the culprit stalked his family for weeks beforehand.

Speaking exclusively to the News, he said: "He should be locked up forever."

The raid happened on December 2 last year when a man wearing a ski-mask was standing in the lounge, having climbed through a window.

"The dog barked and I heard a shout. There was somebody there with a ski mask showing just the eyes and the mouth, and holding a shotgun. I think it was a pump action one.

"My daughter started shouting and he said shut up or I will kill her'. He said do not hit the panic button or you are dead'," the dad added.

His 17-year-old daughter was forced to bind his hands with computer cable wire before the robber tied her hands.

Their legs were also tied and they were positioned away from the robber as he raided the family safe.

The dad said: "I was longing for him to leave, to get out and take what he wanted because I had my wife returning back with four young kids and we did not know what would happen."

The robber left the room warning he would be back, but never returned.

Police had been told a few weeks earlier that the man's son had seen somebody in a mask jump over their garden wall. On another occasion the security light sensors had been tinkered with.

The suspect is white, aged about 25, 5ft 10ins, and was wearing a brown hiking jacket with North Face label, hiking shoes and possibly gloves.

Anyone with information should call PC Peter Rodrigues on 020 8649 3086 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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