TWO men have been sent to prison for a robbery at a sub post office, which left two women "petrified".

David Kimpton, 47, and Ross Wightman, 32, admitted robbing the sub post office in Evelyn Wood Road, Cressing, on February 21.

Kimpton, of no fixed address, and Wightman, of Salcott Creek Court, Braintree, also admitted possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence at Chelmsford Crown Court today. 

During the terrifying ordeal two women, a customer and a shop worker, had the imitation gun waved at them while the hooded men shouted "money".

The men walked away with about £990, but were arrested a week later. 

They were sentenced on joint enterprise to nine years for robbery and six years for possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, to run concurrently.

Kimpton, who has 109 previous offences, was also sentenced to six months in prison for possession of heroin, also to run concurrently. 

Passing sentence Judge Lynch said: “Your counsel will have told you this is amongst the most serious of crimes that we get in these courts.

“The two ladies who you were waving your imitation firearm in front of were petrified. They thought it was real and members of the public seldom get over this sort of shock and fear.

“The police traced you very quickly.

“I think the best mitigation is your guilty pleas. It has saved those ladies from coming to court.

“Those two ladies suffered quite substantial psychological harm and it has had an impact on the rest of their lives.”