A MAN who carried out a knife point raid on a betting shop within hours of appearing before magistrates has been jailed for more than four years.

Anthony Gray and an accomplice armed themselves and large knives and wore disguises before raiding the William Hill shop in Rodbourne Road.

But the 21-year-old was caught after he was seen stripping off a latex glove as he fled the scene and police later found it contained his DNA.

Ian Fenny, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court theraid took place on the evening of Tuesday October 11.

He said shortly before the shop was due to close at 9.30pm two men wearing hoodies with scarves across their faces entered the shop.

The pair were brandishing ten- inch kitchen knives and approached the counter where the manager and a female assistant were preparing to close up.

One of the men shouted, ‘We’re not messing about, hand over your money’ and warned them not to press the panic button.

They held out a rucksack and told the workers to put more in it, getting away with £485.

As they were doing it the other robber told the store manager he would stab him in the face.

Mr Fenny said after the money was loaded in their bag they fled along an alleyway, but one was seen taking off the glove.

When he was questioned by the police he exercised his right to silence but admitted what he had done when he appeared before the court.

Gray, of Cricklade Road, admitted robbery. The court was told he had a history of crime, mainly theft, and was on a suspended sentence at the time of the offence.

On the day of the robbery he was put on a conditional discharge for fly tipping.

Rob Ross, defending, said his client accepted he was facing a jail term and had been in custody on remand since his arrest.

He said his motivation for the offence was simply that he had no money but he did not have a drink or drugs problem.

“We have a person who lives in a society of plenty who had nothing and he did something stupid and he did it armed with a knife,” he said.

Passing sentence Judge Euan Ambrose said “What is so striking is the utter disregard for the court process that you exhibited on the very day you had appeared in the magistrates’ court and gained the conditional discharge. What you were told that morning appears to have totally bounced off you.”

He jailed him for four years for the robbery plus eight weeks for the suspended sentence imposed in August for theft.

Jack Young, 20, of Albany Close, Swindon, was cleared of robbery by a jury following a trial last month.