An armed robber entered his local bookmakers and threatened the cashier with an eight-inch blade in Merthyr Tydfil town centre. Footage shows the moment Anton William Jones, 46, entered the Betfred shop on March 23, concealing his face with a balaclava and had a bread knife hidden in his jacket sleeve.

Jones deliberately didn't speak when he demanded money from a staff member in the shop, knowing that his voice would be recognised as a regular customer, South Wales Police said in a statement. According to the force, Jones stole around £600.

Following extensive CCTV enquiries, Jones’ route to and from the scene was established by South Wales Police. Officers then located the clothing worn by Jones concealed in the undergrowth on the riverbank of the River Taff. This was recovered and the items were forensically examined showing Jones’ DNA was on the clothing, the force said.

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The two minute footage shows Jones gesturing the knife at the staff member and the tills, with a bag open pointing to put the cash inside.

As a result of his actions, Jones, of 44 First Avenue, Galon Uchaf, Merthyr Tydfil, was sentenced to eleven and a half years in prison at a hearing at cardiff-crown-court>Cardiff Crown Court on October 26. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here.

Detective Constable Paul Bishop said: “Jones is a prolific offender, with four convictions for knifepoint robberies in the past. This was team effort to bring a dangerous and un-phased offender to justice, who had no choice but to plead in light of the weight of evidence against him.”