A STABLE lad who robbed a bookie's at knifepoint has been jailed for five years.

Guy Sullivan went into Corals in Market Street, Swindon, and waved a knife at the lone female cashier before snatching the takings.

But the 35-year-old was recognised by police when they looked at CCTV and when the victim viewed an identity parade she burst into tears when she saw his face again.

Sullivan caused a social media storm last year after being reported missing when he failed to show for a new job at Brian Meehan's stables at Manton, near Marlborough.

Messages on Twitter were shared by the likes of AP McCoy and Jonjo O'Neill before he was eventually found safe and well in late April.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that the raid took place at about 7.30pm on Saturday, September 19.

She said the assistant manager had locked the door to empty the gaming machines when she saw Sullivan at the door.

"She assumed he was a customer so she buzzed the door. He entered. She saw immediately he had a knife," she said.

"He was also wearing a black hooded top, it was pulled round his face. He said 'I am not going to hurt you sweetheart'."

Miss Squire said that while he never made a verbal threat to the woman it was implicit from the brandishing of the knife.

"She was very scared, she was very shocked as is clear in her statement," she told the court.

"He reached over and took the box which was the taking she had been counting. He dropped £20 on the way out. He had been in the shop less than one minute."

She said the box he took contained £3,843.90p which had been taken out of the machines and was being counted when he stormed in.

The banknote he left was later found to have his fingerprints on it and despite him being identified by the cashier and police he made no comment when questioned.

Sullivan, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to robbery. The court heard he had a long history of crime going back to when he was a youth.

As well as other robberies and burglaries in the past, Miss Squire said he was currently serving a jail term for stealing high value items from jewellery shops.

Alex Daymond, defending, said his client had been a heroin addict for many years, which was apparent by his previous convictions, and was expecting a jail term.

For many years he had worked as a stable hand for racehorse trainers, he said, but after a close friend died in February last year he went off the rails.

He told the court that his client had written a letter apologising to the victim and he was very sorry for what he had done.

Jailing him, Recorder Ben Compton QC said: "The assistant manager was working alone and she thought you were just another customer.

"And when you saw her you must have realised it was a single woman working alone: you must have realised she was very vulnerable.

"'I am not going to hurt you sweetheart,' must have been pretty hollow words to her. Imagine just how terrifying it must have been for her.

"There are aggravating features in this case and you should be utterly ashamed by what you did."