Andrew Tomlinson told his girlfriend he was just "nipping out" but instead armed himself with an imitation gun before bursting into a nearby Bargain Booze.

He threatened staff with the weapon and ordered them to empty the cash register.

Dressed all in black with his face obscured, Tomlinson fled when a shop assistant refused to hand over any money and told him she had pressed the store's panic button, alerting police.

He was arrested over the August 2008 raid in October that year thanks in part to the tip-off police received from his girlfriend.

Tomlinson was freed on bail and went on to rekindle his relationship with his girlfriend despite her continuing to remain a prosecution witness. Tomlinson turned violent during an attempt to persuade her not to give evidence, attacking her with a hammer and leaving her with a fractured wrist and cuts to her hand.

The attack happened in May this year while Tomlinson and his girlfriend were living in Wigan.

He appeared a Preston Crown Court on Monday, November 2. He had admitted the assault but denied raiding the off-licence in Leyland and was found guilty after a trial. He was jailed for 12 years.

Det Insp Marc Nasser, from Leyland CID, said: "This was terrifying ordeal for the member of staff who was confronted in the robbery. She did not know that the firearm which she was being threatened with was an imitation.

"We take the safety of members of the public who work in these types of premises seriously and are pleased by the verdict reached in this case.

"I would also like to reassure members of the local community that this type of crime is extremely rare in Leyland."

"Mr Tomlinson was arrested on 29 October 2008, following information received from his girlfriend at the time and other members of the public.

"Due to the serious nature of his offence we applied for Mr Tomlinson to be held on remand, which he was. However, Mr Tomlinson was later released by the courts on bail and during this time he rekindled his relationship with his girlfriend, a witness for the prosecution, and then went on attack her with a hammer in an attempt to stop her being a witness against him. His girlfriend sustained a fractured wrist and cuts to the head in the attack."

Det Insp Nasser added: "Mr Tomlinson is a violent and manipulative character who tried to disrupt the prosecutions case against him through the use of extreme violence.

"The sentence issued by the court reflects the police, the prosecution and the court's view of the serious nature of these offences."