A meat cleaver-wielding robber threatened to stab his local shopkeeper unless he emptied the till - but fled with just four packs of Benson and Hedges.

Lee Ward, 43, brandished the serrated blade in McColl's in Ramsgate screaming: “Give me all the money or someone is getting stabbed.”

But brave shopkeeper Mr Holbrook instead offered Ward rolling tobacco. The robber declined - but then accepted the cigarette packets before fleeing.

When police attended the Newington Road store they recognised Ward on CCTV and traced him to his Lancaster Close home.

He was smoking the stolen cigarettes when officers arrived.

Ward was jailed on Friday for three years and four months at Canterbury Crown Court for the March raid.

“The incident shook me up, it’s not something I expected to deal with, I was very concerned about other customers and my colleagues, which is why I tried keeping the attention on me,” Mr Holbrook said.

“I keep questioning why he needed to threaten my life just to get some money out of it.”

Ward was a regular at the shop on first name terms with some members of staff, the court heard.

Prosecutors told how a number of knives were found at Ward’s address when he was arrested.

He was later successfully selected at an identification parade but protested his innocence.

“When police played him the CCTV he said ‘That doesn’t even look like me, it could be anyone,’” barrister Bridget Todd explained.

Todd pleaded guilty to robbery and possessing a blade before trial.

Phil Rowley, mitigating, explained Ward was a paranoid schizophrenic who, at the time of the offence, was not taking his required medication.

Ward is “deeply remorseful and regretful” for putting Mr Holbrook through the ordeal, Mr Rowley explained.

Judge Simon James said he “commended the bravery of Mr Holbrook”.

“Indeed it was a shop which previously you had been a regular customer there.

“You threatened the cashier with a butcher’s knife stating: Give over all the money, or someone is getting stabbed,” he added.

The three months already spent in custody will be deducted from Ward’s overall sentence.

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