A man has been jailed for 34 months after threatening a Great Yarmouth shop worker with a toothbrush handle.
A man has been jailed for 34 months after attempting to rob a shop in Great Yarmouth.
Paul Clarkson, 51, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to attempted robbery.
The incident happened at a shop on King Street on 25 March.
The court heard Clarkson approached the tills from the side before grabbing a cashier by the neck.
He then pressed an object against her which she believed was a knife and demanded that she open the till.
Customers who witnessed what was happening intervened and restrained Clarkson while police were called.
When officers arrived, it was discovered that the object he had been holding was actually the handle of a toothbrush.
However, the cashier had no way of knowing that during the incident and was left badly shaken.
Clarkson was arrested, charged and remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
Norfolk Police praised the members of the public who stepped in to help and said their actions played an important role in bringing the incident to a safe conclusion.
The force says violence and intimidation towards retail workers will not be tolerated.

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