Jailed: Oswestry man gets over three years for 'terrifying' petrol station robbery
An Oswestry man who staged a terrifying robbery at a North Wales petrol station - making off with cash and cigarettes - has been jailed for three years and nine months.
James Lee Wilkinson, 23, of Ashlands Road, Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, who had previously pleaded guilty to robbery,was one of a pair that struck at the The Esso Garage at Rhostyllen near Wrexham, in the early hours of September 11.
Wilkinson has refused to name the accomplice who was with him on the night.
Prosecuting barrister Sarah Morgan said Wilkinson put fuel in his car before entering the shop and picking up a drink.
But as he was paying the victim became aware of the other man by his side who had a claw hammer.
Wilkinson told the victim to "leave the till open" and began to empty it.
The second man, wielding the hammer, asked him to open the safe and the victim told him he was unable to do so.
The man then took the victim into the office and removed the disk from the CCTV.
Miss Morgan said the unknown robber managed to open a smaller safe and take some money.
A total of 200 packets of cigarettes and £2,470 in cash was taken.
The victim then called the police despite the pair threatening him not to do so - and he was also able to give officers a partial registration number.
Wilkinson's finger prints were later found on a packet of cigarettes and on a can of drink.
Judge Niclas Parry told Wilkinson it was "a terrifying incident".
"It was 3.30 am when you with another man who you refused to name targeted a vulnerable small service station occupied as you would have known by one man," he said.
"They were threatening, they took money from the till, they demanded to know where the safe was, they physically held him and took him into an office.
"He begged you not to do anything stupid because he had a child," the judge said.
"Your best mitigation is you guilty plea at a preliminary stage which means that you receive maximum credit in sentence," he said.
Judge Parry said that he took into consideration that there had been no physical violence and no injuries.
Ceri Evans, defending, said Wilkinson knew that he would receive a lengthy sentence.
She also accepted that it was a joint offence.
