A WOULD-BE armed robber who tried to hold up a store was foiled by a courageous shopkeeper who stood up to him.

Daniel Murphy's failed raid took place at the Premier Stores on Alexandra Road in the Pill area of Newport at around 5am on Tuesday, May 11.

He was carrying a screwdriver and tried to steal a bottle of booze but hadn’t reckoned on plucky Ponnampalam Premananth.

David Pugh, prosecuting, said: “The defendant walked into the store with a hood over his head.

South Wales Argus:

Daniel Murphy

“There were two customers in the shop and the defendant went straight to the alcohol aisle.

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“The shopkeeper told him he couldn’t sell alcohol until eight o’clock.

“The defendant picked up a bottle of alcohol and then knocked some eggs over and began to stumble.

“Mr Premananth said to him, ‘Please put the bottle back.’”

Mr Pugh played CCTV capturing the robbery bid to Cardiff Crown Court.

It showed Mr Premananth confronting Murphy who had now taken out a screwdriver from his pocket.

The shopkeeper snatched the bottle of booze from the defendant’s hands who then fled after grabbing a can of pop.

The 27-year-old, of Tone Close, Bettws, Newport, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

Mr Pugh said the defendant had 39 previous convictions for 64 offences.

They included a robbery from 2013, seven burglaries and possession of a knife or bladed article.

Rosamund Rutter, representing Murphy, said her client had endured a “chaotic and difficult upbringing”.

She added how the defendant suffers with his mental health.

The judge, Recorder Duncan Bould, told Murphy: “You attempted to disguise yourself by pulling up a hood over your face.

“These are serious offences.

“This was an unpleasant experience for all those who experienced it, which included two members of the public.

“You admitted you were extremely drunk when you committed these offences.”

The defendant was jailed for 27 months and ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge following his release from prison.