A ROBBER who preyed on a post office, waiting for the store to be empty before demanding cash from store staff, has been jailed.

The victims of Anthony Baugh have suffered a 'loss of confidence' since the store raid, a court heard yesterday.

The 33-year-old of HMP Bullingdon had denied one count of robbery but admitted having a bladed article.

After his trial jurors found him guilty of the single count and he was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court yesterday.

Baugh first went into the Easington Post Office, Easington, on the afternoon of March 15 this year.

Deciding he wanted the contents of the till for himself he then went outside and lingered there until the store was empty.

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It was then that he went back inside and threatened a member of store staff before he snatched the till.

A knife was later found to have fallen on the floor during the robbery but Baugh did not wield the weapon during the incident.

The victim and staff member had seen her confidence knocked, prosecutors said, and now 'looked around every time someone comes in'.

The post office had also been raided two separate times previously but those attacks were not thought to be linked to Baugh's crimes.

It was also revealed that Baugh has a number of previous convictions made up of 25 appearances for 47 offences.

Among those crimes was another robbery and having a samurai sword in the street.

In mitigation at yesterday's hearing defence barrister Anne-Marie Critchley said that her client's offending had been motivated by his addiction to drugs.

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She said that since the offence he had made efforts to kick his addiction and speaking of the incident she said there was 'minimal' planning.

Explaining the possession of a knife she said he had been homeless at the time and added that it was not wielded in the robbery.

Sentencing, Judge Maria Lamb said: "Your behaviour was designed to put [the victim] into fear, to intimidate into co-operation.

"I accept you didn't take out the knife.

"I accept you didn't want confrontation but it was quite obvious that she was not going to hand over the till so you had to make her think violence was possible."

For the robbery he was jailed for three years and for having a knife eight months, totalling three years and eight months.