A KNIFE-WIELDING "highly dangerous" armed robber wearing a balaclava who terrified a shop assistant was jailed for five years yesterday.

A young woman shop assistant was "scared to death" after David Parry walked into a Pontypool store brandishing a 12in kitchen knife last December.

He told the assistant at the Londis store in The Highway, New Inn, to open the till before he escaped with just £30 cash.

Parry, 36, of Llandegfedd Way, New Inn, was jailed at Cardiff crown court after being earlier convicted of robbery at an earlier hearing. He had denied the charge.

He carried out the robbery at around 4.25pm on the afternoon of Sunday, December 12.

Robert Buckland, mitigating for Parry, said he was a man of good character with no previous convictions for violence.

Speaking outside the court, Detective Sergeant Emma Brown, from Pontypool CID, said Parry was a "highly dangerous man".

She said: "The girl in the shop was terrified. He scared her to death. I'm sure she will have great piece of mind knowing Parry is behind bars."

DS Brown described the robbery: "The shop assistant was on her own when Parry came into the shop wearing a white balaclava covering his head.

"He was also wearing a black Welsh rugby jersey."

"The assistant asked him to take the balaclava off, thinking he was a local youth.

"He then told her to open the till. She thought it was a joke until she could see he was holding a large, 12in kitchen knife."

Parry then took £30 out of the till and escaped from the shop. DS Brown said initially detectives had little information to help them with their inquiry.

But the breakthrough they needed that led them to Parry came several months after the robbery when a witness came forward with a tip off that led them to him.