A MAN who robbed a Kidderminster second-hand clothes shop at knifepoint has been jailed for four and a half years.

Robert Steven Burns, 31, of Farnham Road, Birmingham, carried out the robbery at Cash For Clothes, in Horsefair, at about noon on December 10, 2012.

Burns denied robbery and possessing a knife in a public place but was found guilty after a trial and was jailed for 54 months at Worcester Crown Court on Friday, March 12.

Det Con Adrian Smith, or West Mercia Police, said: "Burns went into the shop with identity concealed by a hat and scarf and demanded money. The member of staff handed over a total of £523.

"He was caught after police discovered a customer in the shop during the robbery was actually his girlfriend. We picked up on discrepancies in her witness account and established the pair had been in the shop together the previous week.

"This was a very distressing experience for the shop owner, who was left shaking and crying. Knife robberies are taken very seriously by the police and courts and the sentence imposed reflects that."

Burns' girlfriend was arrested on suspicion of robbery and attempting to pervert the course of justice but no further action was taken against her.