A ROBBER who threatened terrified staff at a Bournemouth bookmakers with an axe has been jailed for seven years.

Gavin Horwood waved the axe above his head inside Coral in Columbia Road before fleeing with £600 just before Christmas last year.

He was found guilty of robbery at Bournemouth Crown Court where police praised the victims and witnesses for their help in convicting " a dangerous offender."

Detective Constable Ben Griffin, of Bournemouth CID, said: "I hope the sentence handed out by the court will send a very strong warning that such serious offences will be dealt with robustly by the courts.

“I would like to praise quick-thinking members of the public who alerted us to Horwood’s suspicious behaviour and collected valuable information that enabled officers to arrest Horwood the same day and led to the conviction of a dangerous offender.

"I would also like to thank the victims who gave vital evidence during the trial despite having gone through a very traumatic experience."

The court heard that around 2.15pm on Tuesday December 23 Horwood and a second man entered the bookmakers with their faces covered by scarves.

Horwood, 28, threatened staff by waving the axe above his head and two members of staff who were counting money at the counter fled to the rear of the store, taking most of the money with them.

Horwood, whose address was given in court as HMP Winchester, then climbed over the counter and stole £600 from the remaining cash while the second man stood in the doorway.

They fled the scene. No one was injured in the incident. The court heard that 10 minutes before the robbery members of the public had seen Horwood and a second man getting out of a Citroen near to the bookmakers with their faces covered. Police discovered that the Citroen had been rented by Horwood and he was arrested later that day. The second man was never identified.