A ROBBER who threatened to throw acid at a shop assistant unless she handed over the cash in the till has been jailed.

Anthony Farley threatened the shop assistant at One Stop convenience shop in Poolbrook Road, Malvern, before fleeing police in his girlfriend's car, taken without his partner's permission. He crashed the car into a gate and ran off before handing himself in.

The 28-year-old of Meadowsweet Court, Malvern, admitted robbery, aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance and failing to stop when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday, offences which also placed him in breach of two suspended sentences, both for burglary.

Peter Grice, prosecuting, said Farley went to his partner's workplace at around 6pm on Thursday, December 21 last year, taking the keys to her Ford Ka and driving off.

Farley arrived at the One Stop at around 8.30pm, bought a soft drink from shop worker Kayleigh Humphries, a woman he had known for 'many years', before leaving and returning at 9pm, this time to buy some Rizla papers. Again he was served by Miss Humphries.

Mr Grice said: "As she was taking payment for the Rizla papers he produced a clear plastic bottle containing a cloudy liquid and told her it was acid and he would throw it at her if she did not let him have the contents of the till."

Believing it was acid, Miss Humphries gave Farley £320 from the till.

The defendant left the shop where he was seen by police running towards the Ford Ka parked in Geraldine Road, Malvern.

Farley was followed by officers in an unmarked car and one of them, wearing full uniform, asked the defendant to stop.

"His reaction was to drive away" Mr Grice told the court.

The defendant crashed the car into a gate, dislodging bricks before running away, leaving behind his two passengers.

Farley handed himself into police at Worcester Police Station five days later.

In interview he told officers he had been going through his partner's handbag looking for an e-cigarette, saw his partner's keys and decided to drive home.

The offences also placed him in breach of two suspended sentences.

The first was a 12 month prison sentence suspended for 24 months imposed last April for a house burglary at Salvation House.

Farley stole £1,200 of jewellery and electrical equipment but left blood at the scene which enabled officers to link him to the offence.

The second was a 12 week prison sentence suspended for 24 months for two burglaries on the same shop - Bargain Booze in Barnards Green - in July and August last year. Again, Farley left blood at the scene. In a previous report in the Worcester News Farley had told his barrister he had been 'trollied' during the raid.

He stole £600, cigarettes and tobacco worth around £1,500 together with a bottle of vodka.

Mr Grice said the offences were aggravated by Farley's previous convictions. He has 24 convictions for 72 offences, some dating back to when he was a juvenile. In 2004, when still a youth, he was convicted of robbery and received a 12 month detention and training order. In August 2009 he was sent to a young offender institution for three years for a robbery with a knife.

He has further convictions for shoplifting and possession of heroin.

Barry Newton, defending, produced a medical report which showed at the time of the offending Farley's doctor had prescribed an alternative type of anti-psychotic medication. The offending happened at a time when he had come off his old medication and had yet to start taking the new.

Mr Newton said Farley had made no attempt to disguise himself and emphasised an eight year gap in his offending.

He cited difficulties in Farley's personal life, including the death of his father in May 2017 and the pressures of being promoted to the position of supervisor at his door manufacturing job.

"Things all unravelled in mid to late 2016" Mr Newton said. Farley told a probation officer he turned to drugs while his father was ill.

Judge Robert Juckes QC said it was 'a great disappointment' that Farley had begun offending again after 'apparently turning a corner', securing a work and a stable relationship.

He took into account Farley's guilty pleas, entered at the first available opportunity, and the hiatus in his treatment for mental health issues.

Judge Juckes jailed Farley for four years in total, three years for the robbery, six months consecutive for the other matters and six months, also consecutive, activated from the suspended sentences.

He also banned Farley from driving for 18 months, a ban which will begin at around the time he is released from custody after serving half of his four year sentence.