Post Office manageress trapped raider inside store after he took less than £2 from his account then claimed to have a gun

Michael McCann had waited in the queue, took less than £2 from his account then warned the cashier at the branch in Hebburn: "don't shut the till, I've got a gun".

The 37-year-old repeated the warning and backed up the threat by holding his phone inside his pocket as if it could be a weapon.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the worker, who believed he had a firearm, raised the alarm, customers were told to leave and staff members went to a secure area away from the shop floor to wait for the police.

Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw told the court the manageress refused to take refuge and took steps to ensure the robber had to remain until officers arrived.

Mr Wardlaw said: "She took the decision to leave the premises by the side door, ran around to the front door and secured it, thereby locking the defendant in.

"Before she did this, staff had activated a security measure fog mechanism which covers the counter in dry ice and fog.

"As she secured the premises, she aw the defendant was placing his hands under the counter, trying to get to the till, in an effort to steal from the till.

"Due to her actions, the defendant was trapped."

The court heard although no firearm was found, the cashier who initially served McCann said: "I was absolutely terrified. Not only for myself but for everyone else.

"I remember thinking I hadn't seen a gun but he still might have one.

"I've got kids. All sorts of things were going through my mind."

The manageress who trapped McCann inside the shop said: "I am still shaking and shocked by the whole incident."

McCann, of no fixed address, admitted attempted robbery on November 30 last year.

Judge Tim Gittins sentenced him to 32 months behind bars.

The judge told him: "Obviously they had no way of knowing whether your threat was a genuine one and whether you had a weapon on you that could take their lives.

"One of the members of staff, with remarkable compose and bravery, decided to go around the front of the shop and lock you in it.

"Notwithstanding being trapped, you were still trying to steal from the till."

Judge Gittins added: "Such premises, which are valuable to local communities, are an easy target. This is a relatively easy offence to commit but it is capable of leaving people deeply affected, potentially unable to return to their workplace for fear of it happening again."

Nicholas Lane, defending, said McCann committed the offence "on impulse" as he needed money to buy drugs.

Mr Lane added: "He very much regrets his behaviour.

"He recognises members of the public would have been genuinely alarmed."

The court heard McCann had a "very poor start in life" and was introduced to drugs at an early age.