Callous robber David Dennington left a couple devastated when he snatched £12,320 from their post office store.
Dennington, 25, grabbed the owner by the throat, pointed a knife at him and headbutted him so badly that he was taken to hospital.
The owner's wife suffered shock and now suffers sleepless nights and depression. She was so seriously affected by the robbery that she finds it difficult working at the store in the Ridgeway, Westcliff.
The raid was one of several carried out by Dennington, who armed himself with either a knife or screwdriver, Basildon Crown Court heard.
Dennington, of Crockerford, Vange, admitted four robberies and a burglary. He asked for 16 other offences to be considered and was jailed for four years.
Crack cocaine addict Dennington was told by the judge, Mr Recorder Worthington: "Your drug habit is no excuse. The public has to be protected from people like you."
Published Tuesday, June 3, 2003
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