A man threatened a Co-op shop worker in Cambridge and – pointing the blade at him- demanded he open the till. Anthony Gawthrop went into the Co-op in Milton Road, Cambridge on the afternoon of 29 December and approached a member of staff behind the till.
He pointed the blade at him and demanded he open the till and empty the contents into a plastic bag.
The 38-year-old left the store with around £200 in cash.
He was arrested for a separate offence when he admitted carrying out the robbery to officers in custody.
At Peterborough Crown Court on Friday (16 February), Gawthrop, of no fixed address, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after previously pleading guilty to robbery.
Detective Constable Matthew Lander, who investigated, said: “This sentence demonstrates the seriousness with which the police and the courts take robbery and knife crime.
“Although the victim in this case was not harmed, the terror he must have felt as a result of Gawthrop’s actions, would have been awful.
“I hope this sentence provides the victim with some sense of satisfaction and closure.”
