Two armed men who “terrified” an elderly shop worker during a New Year’s Eve robbery at a village store have each been jailed for more than five years.
Luke Hamilton and Fabio Teixeira (both 26) got away with £1,000 from the village store in Langtoft, after employee Vylma Denniston was confronted with a knife.
The pair were convicted of robbery after a five-day trial at Lincoln Crown Court last month.
The jury were told they chose the isolated store because it was a “soft target” after making a reconnaissance trip from their Peterborough homes.
Passing sentence, Recorder Stuart Sprawson said Mrs Denniston was terrified by the experience.
Recorder Sprawson told them: “Vylma Denniston had worked in that store for 21 years. She was just nine weeks away from retirement.
“Following your activities she decided not to return to work and slipped in to her retirement prematurely.
“Anybody who has seen the CCTV can not fail to appreciate the fear you instilled in her.”
Teixeira, of High Street, Fletton, was jailed for five and half years. The court heard in July 2005 he was sentenced to 30 months in a young offenders institution for a street robbery.
Hamilton, now of no fixed address, was sentenced to five years and two months imprisonment. Both men had denied the robbery on December 31, 2009.
Gorden Aspden, prosecuting, told the jury Mrs Denniston came out of a store room and was frightened into opening the till by Teixeira who stood several yards away holding a knife.
Mr Aspden said: “She was no doubt looking forward to knocking off for the day and seeing in 2010 with her family. Unbeknown to Mrs Denniston she was to be the victim of a robbery at the hands of these two.”
Shortly after 3.10pm CCTV showed the two masked men walking into the store. They were wearing balaclavas and were armed with a crowbar and knife.
“Hamilton went behind the counter and tried without success to get the till open. Teixeira stood guard with the knife,” Mr Aspden added.
The pair drove back to Peterborough in Teixera’s car but had made a number of mistakes which led police to identify them.
A camera outside the shop showed the robbers hanging around before they pulled down their balaclavas, and Hamilton’s fingerprints were later found in Teixeira’s car.
In mitigation, the court was told the two men hoped to rob the shop while Mrs Denniston was in the store room and avoid any confrontation.