An armed robber who mistakenly shot dead his accomplice as he tried to flee a botched Rolex theft faces life behind bars after being convicted of murder.

Daniel Tesfay, 27, accidentally gunned down and killed 20-year-old Jonathan Barnes as the pair attempted to make off with fake designer watches from a house in Croydon.

Tesfay, of no fixed address, was found guilty at the Old Bailey today at the close of a two-week trial. He was jailed for life and told he would serve a mininum of 30 years.

He was also convicted of possessing a firearm with the intent endanger life and sentenced to ten years imprisonment to run concurrently.

During the trial the court heard that Tesfay had fired a gun "like something out of the computer game Resident Evil" at intended robbery victim Jordaan Williams on August 23 last year. 

He missed, blasting Mr Barnes in the head instead.