A ROBBER who held a 12-inch long machete to the throat of a terrified young mother during an armed raid has been jailed for 10 years.

Children screamed and cowered behind their parents as balaclava-clad Craig Smith burst into a post office wielding a machete and demanded cash.

Smith, aged 25, of South Avenue, Leigh, was in a gang of three men who stole £29,000 from security guards making a delivery to the Platt Bridge Post Office, Wigan, on May 21, last year. The money was never recovered.

Liverpool Crown Court was told Smith fled the scene in a Ford Mondeo which he had stolen the previous day when he had threatened a husband and wife with a machete in Newton-Le Willows.

Smith was jailed after Judge Brian Lewis told him: "At 11am the post office was full of women and young children. The terror of those people and what they experienced is quite clear from the many witness statements I have read.

"One woman pushing her 15-week-old baby has been unable to sleep because of the robbery.

"The machete involved in that offence is a fearsome looking weapon and it's unsurprising that those people reacted in that kind of way.

"This was not an impulsive offence, it was an offence of serious intent. It was a planned and premeditated crime."

Det Con Alison Wallwork, who led the investigation, said after Smith was jailed: "This is a very violent criminal man who has been taken out of society and this will make the streets of Leigh and Wigan much safer."

The court was told that Smith stole the getaway car from Richard Davies and his wife as they were late night shopping at Asda, Newton-Le-Willows at 10pm on May 20.

The pair were about to get into the Y reg Ford Mondeo when they were approached by two men in balaclavas who told Mr Davies to "get out of the car".

Prosecuting, barrister Sue Kolin told the court that Mr Davies tried to resist, but one of the men threatened him with a machete and he had "no choice" but to get out of the car.

His wife fled the scene screaming and raised the alarm.

The following morning security guards were making four money deliveries of up to £100,000 to Platt Bridge Post Office when two men armed with a handgun and machete burst in.

Mrs Kolin said children were "screaming and shouting" in terror as the duo demanded the cash.

When the security guards refused to give them the money, one of the men armed with a machete grabbed a young mum and held the blade just one inch from her throat.

The woman pleaded with security guards and the postmaster to hand the money over to the gang.

The men fled to the waiting Ford Mondeo where a third man acting as the getaway driver was waiting and the gang drove off.

Mrs Kolin said witnesses saw the man with the machete climb into the front passenger seat of the Ford Mondeo which was later set alight after being abandoned. The remains of Smith's fleece were found in the wreckage on the front passenger seat.

When Smith was arrested last October he was found still in possession of the machete.

Defending, Mr Joe Boyd said Smith had got involved because he needed to pay off some money debts he had accumulated through criminal activities.

Mr Boyd said Smith accepted having been responsible for obtaining the car and wished to express his "considerable remorse" for being involved in the crime.

Smith admitted the robbery, stealing the Mondeo car, two charges of possessing an offensive weapon and a separate charge of possessing a hand gun.