A 43-YEAR-OLD Poole man has pleaded guilty to robbery after CCTV pictures appeared in the Daily Echo.

Clear photos of Yunus Patel were printed shortly after the frightening crime took place in the Spar shop at Upton Triangle.

During a plea and case management hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court, Patel pleaded guilty to robbery but denied possession of an imitation firearm, a plea which was accepted by the prosecution.

Now he has been warned he is likely to be sent to jail.

Patel, of Churchill Road, Poole will appear in court again on April 13 and Judge John Harrow told him: “You obviously face a prison sentence.”

The court heard Patel was one of two men who threatened staff at the shop at about 10pm on Thursday March 1 to steal cigarettes and around £2,000 in cash.

Cigarettes were taken from a display, cash grabbed from a till and a member of staff forced to take robbers to an office where more cash was stolen.

During an appeal for witnesses, Detective Constable Steve May said: “This was a highly distressing incident.”

He said a heavily pregnant customer who entered the store during the robbery was allowed to carry out her shopping and to leave the shop.

Patel was remanded in custody.