AN ARMED robber who held a knife to a shop assistant's throat has been jailed for more than six years.

Bolton Crown Court heard how Terence Hargreaves carried out a robbery, armed with a knife, at the Spar store on Castle Street on October 19 last year.

Duncan Wilcock, prosecuting, said that at 8am assistant Nikunj Patel was serving customers when Hargreaves walked in and asked to buy a 10p sweet.

But as Mr Patel opened the till Hargreaves reached over and snatched £200.

Quick-thinking Mr Patel grabbed hold of Hargreaves’ wrist, but then felt a knife pressed against his neck, which caused a 2cm scratch.

The shop assistant pressed a security alarm, which locked the shop doors and he fled to the safety of a staff room.

But fellow shop assistant Collette Stanton had been stacking shelves and when Hargreaves realised he could not get out of the store he walked towards and shouted to Mr Patel, "Open the door or she gets it".

Ms Stanton tried to fend off Hargreaves with a tray she was carrying, but the robber shoved her backwards into shelving, injuring her back, before he fled the store.

Three days later, this time apparently not armed, Hargreaves tried the same method, attempting to steal money from the till at the Premier News store on Settle Street.

This time the shop assistant managed to shut the drawer before Hargreaves grabbed the money and he ran off.

When arrested he gave no explanation for the crimes but pleaded guilty to robbery, possessing a knife, assault and attempted theft.

The court heard that he has 36 convictions for 62 offences and has previously served a four year prison sentence for robbery.

Colin Buckle, defending, said: "This was a desperate man who ran in (to the Spar shop) and made a grab for the till and made a momentary decision to hold a blade next to a man's neck."

He added that whilst the incident was serious, the injuries sustained were not serious.

Mr Buckle stressed that, after being diagnosed with a personality disorder in 2011 and prescribed medication, 45-year-old Hargreaves, of no fixed address, had almost stopped offending.

But when he decided he did not need the medication any more he slipped back into taking heroin and crack cocaine and began stealing again before committing the robbery.

"He was a desperate man at his lowest point," said Mr Buckle.

Sentencing Hargreaves to six years and two months in prison, Judge Elliot Knopf told him: "You have an appalling record."

And he added that his crime has badly affected Ms Stanton psychologically.

"It has quite clearly had a serious effect on her," he said.

Hargreaves is due to be back before Judge Knopf on March 31 in connection with an allegation of house burglary.