A balaclava-clad robber smashed up a Post Office with bolt cutters and struck its owner across the face in a "terrifying and vicious" raid.

Jonathan Pughe, of Herne Bay, burst into the store in Margate Road, Broomfield, screaming threats while swinging the weapon on February 5.

The 41-year-old obliterated the till with the metal bar, smashed up the counter and hit the owner with his hand, before making a getaway with cash.

The electrician has now been sentenced to six years in prison at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to robbery.

Pughe’s debts had spiralled out of control in the midst of a cocaine and gambling habit when he decided to “rob somewhere,” the court heard.

Zwathmeka Karunakaran, who co-owns the post office with her husband, was behind the counter at the time of the pre-meditated raid.

“He struck the acrylic glass while screaming, which made a loud noise which made her fearful of his intention,” prosecutor Olekemi Fapohunda said.

“He then smashed the counter with what she believed was a crowbar. He then started shouting at her ‘give me the money, give me the money or I will hurt you’.

“She froze, he pulled her towards him and she said she could feel his breath coming through his face covering.”

Pughe then struck her in the mouth and smashed the till screen with the weapon, causing her to panic and struggle to open the drawer, Miss Fapohunda said.

“He repeatedly said ‘hurry up, hurry up' and that he would hurt her,” the prosecutor continued.

The court heard Mrs Karunakaran hit the panic alarm after opening the till, prompting Pughe to snatch fistfuls of notes.

“He was grabbing the cash in such a fashion, he was damaging the till drawer and coins were falling out,” Ms Fapohunda went on.

The “terrifying” ordeal inside the shop was recorded on CCTV.

Cameras outside the store also captured the moment Pughe arrived in a white van with concealed number plates at about 5.15pm

Officers were able to trace Pughe in Herne Bay. They arrested him at about 11.45pm and recovered £400 cash.

Amongst other evidence, officers found that the jeans Pughe was wearing when he was arrested had a tear in an identical position to those worn by the robber in CCTV footage from the store.

"It was a planned, cowardly and callously violent attack by a self-absorbed individual..."

Pughe would tell officers if they “gave him a fag” he would “tell them everything” and said he was “guilty”.

He later gave a "no comment" police interview but later admitted robbery.

Mrs Karunakaran, who suffered no serious injuries, told the court how the mental trauma she suffered at Pughe's hands “has broken me”.

The court heard she has been left “terrified, anxious, constantly crying and a shell of the person she once was”.

Mitigating, Maggie Biglou said Pughe fell into “depression and anxiety,” then subsequently drugs and debt.

She added Pughe, a recovering alcoholic, took cocaine and alcohol on the day of the offence.

The concoction, mixed with prescribed antidepressant medication, may have played a part in him making the “worst mistake of his life,” Ms Biglou said.

“It may have had a significant impact on the way he behaved on the day in question,” she added.

She said Pughe had since worked to address his addiction issues and was “genuinely remorseful” over the robbery.

“He went so far as to tell the (probation) report writer it was cowardly behaviour,” Miss Biglou said.

But Judge Simon James “rejected” claims prescription medication had triggered Pughe’s behaviour, and dubbed the robbery a “terrifying and vicious attack”.

He added: “It was a planned, cowardly and callously violent attack by a self-absorbed individual giving no thought to anyone else apart from serving their own needs.”

Pughe could be seen leaning forward in the dock with his hands on his face, occasionally shaking his head as the prosecution laid out its evidence.

Supported by family in the public gallery, Pughe, of Clifftown Gardens, was handed a restraining order until further notice.

It bans Pughe, who has eight previous convictions for 11 offences, from entering the post office or contacting Mrs Karunakaran.

After the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Keith Taylor said: "Pughe's violent actions were terrifying for the victim of this robbery, who was just doing her job serving the local community.

"I am pleased that the quick response of officers on the day led to him being arrested just hours after the crime, and our thorough investigation left him no choice but to admit this offence."