A MAN wore a mask and armed himself with a machete to carry out a terrifying robbery at his local shop for four cans of Carling lager.

Shaun Davies, 29, from Caerphilly, targeted the Family Choice convenience store in Aberbargoed where he was known to the owner.

The defendant was high on cocaine, Valium and alcohol when he committed the raid at around 9pm on Saturday, March 5.

Richard Ace, prosecuting, said there were two female customers in the shop at the time and one described being left “traumatised” after witnessing the robbery.

MORE NEWS

Davies threatened the shopkeeper with the “fearsome” machete before escaping with a four-pack of Carling.

He was arrested the following day and police found he’d made a rap video with references to a machete and cocaine when they seized his phone.

The defendant, of Bedwellty Road, Aberbargoed, pleaded guilty to robbery and having a bladed article.

Mr Ace told Cardiff Crown Court Davies had 17 previous convictions for 27 offences which included a 54-month jail sentence for robbery in Bargoed.

Kevin Seal, representing the defendant, said the best mitigation he could put forward was his client’s guilty pleas.

He added: “This took place in the context of a cocktail of cocaine, Valium and alcohol.

“In some ways it can be described as a pathetic robbery – it was his local shop, he knows the shop owner and it was captured on CCTV.”

Judge Rhys Rowlands told Davies: “At around 9 o’clock on the evening of Saturday, March 5 you went to your local convenience store in Aberbargoed after you had armed yourself with a machete and having taken steps to hide your face.

“It seems you were a regular customer and were recognised anyway.

“But you went there with a plan to rob the store and had no qualms about doing so even though there were two women customers inside in addition to the shopkeeper.

“Having produced the machete to threaten the shopkeeper you got away with little more than four cans of lager.”

The judge said the machete brandished was a “pretty fearsome weapon”.

He jailed the defendant for four years and eight months.