A man has been jailed for a total of six years after he was convicted of stealing cash from a vulnerable man and a week later robbing a lone female member of staff at a Rhyl off-licence while wearing a terrifying Halloween style Guy Fawkes mask.

Thug Paul Wood, 41 - known as Yam Yam - denied being the robber along with a second, unknown man and then fleeing on get-away bicycles.

He also denied stealing cash from a vulnerable man at the rear of The Town Hall in Rhyl a week earlier.

But he was convicted in his absence at Mold Crown Court after he became difficult and aggressive in the dock.

He was also sentenced in his absence by Judge Niclas Parry, who gave him five years for the robbery and a consecutive 12 months sentence for the theft.

Judge Parry said that Wood had been difficult and aggressive and made it clear he did not want to take part in the trial.

It was, he said, a “serious offence of robbery” on a store, which provided a valuable service to the local community.

“They are small, they are invariably staffed by one or maybe two members of staff and they are invariably female,” he said.

“Because of that, across North Wales, we see this kind of store being targeted.

“They must be protected.”

In the present case Wood, disguised in a frightening mask, entered the store with another who had never been identified.

“He would have known that the person with him was carrying a claw hammer which was brandished,” he said.

Judge Parry said the lone female victim acted with remarkable fortitude and calmness when she was clearly frightened.

She had bravely said that at no time did she think she was going to be physically harmed.

Wood, he said, had a plethora of convictions for violence and dishonesty, including an attempted robbery.

Seven days earlier he had stolen cash from a vulnerable man who carried his belongings with him.

The victim lost £210 in coins, money he had been saving for a long time so that he could visit, as a tourist, a Royal visit.

Wood, 42, of Balmoral Grove in Rhyl, was unanimously found guilty on both charges by the jury who retired for just under an hour.

The Bargain Booze manageress was working alone in Wellington Road, on July 21 last year, when she was robbed.

Prosecuting barrister Matthew Curtis said it was alleged that Wood had some sort of implement but it could not fairly be said to be a knife.

The victim was confronted by a man dressed in dark clothing and wearing a guy Fawkes mask who twice said to her “open the safe”.

She felt frightened and sick, she told him that the keys were not on the premises, and he began to argue with her.

The court heard she told him that the manager had the keys and he said “get the tills”.

A second man then used a claw hammer to try and open the till.

She told him to stop, not to break it, that she would open it with a key.

They then removed all the notes and coins from the till.

“Both were stuffing money into their pockets,” she explained.

She heard one of them say “take the tray” and one of the men took the tray and contents and left as a customer came in.

Witnesses saw two men cycling away, one carrying a till drawer.

It was estimated that they got away with £300 from one till and £270 from the other.

Mr Curtis said that the two men could be seen cycling to and from the shop on CCTV and still photographs shown to the jury.

A week earlier Wood stole £220 in coins from a vulnerable man who was sitting on a bench at The Bullring behind the Town Hall.

It was alleged that a woman had had offered to help him wash his clothes, moved the bags containing clothes and the money from his walking frame, and it was alleged that she nodded to a man who then approached and took the money before cycling off.

Arrested and interviewed, Wood admitted it was him shown cycling away from the Town Hall are but denied theft.

He denied any involvement in the robbery and said that it was a coincidence that he had been riding his bicycle at the time.

Mr Matthew Dunford, defending, said that there was no forensic evidence to link his client to the robbery or the theft.

Two men shown riding bicycles after the robbery wore different clothing to the men seen in the store, he said.

But the prosecution said that one of them was still carrying a till tray.