Two armed raiders have been jailed for 13 years each for robbing a restaurant.
A court heard how A12 Little Chef boss Sarah Cooch was cleaning up after the last customers had left the Rivenhall restaurant, when the door burst open.
The terrified assistant manager was confronted by two men wearing balaclava masks. One of them was armed with a sawn-off shotgun, while the other brandished a handgun.
Both robbers were told by a Chelmsford Crown Court judge it had been a carefully planned robbery which had left restaurant staff "absolutely terrified".
The court heard how one of the robbers had shouted at Miss Cooch: "You know what we want."
She went into an office, opened the safe and put cash into a carrier bag held open by one of the robbers, and was then ordered to put money from the till in the same bag, said John Butcher, prosecuting.
The court heard how the robbers got away with £704 and eight mobile phone cards on January 30, 2002.
Adam Taylor, 24, of Ashford, Kent, and 27-year-old Nigel Overton, of Maidstone, Kent, denied a charge of robbery but were convicted after a nine-day trial.
They also denied but were convicted on other charges of possessing a sawn-off shotgun, a gas pistol and ammunition.
Published Tuesday June 29, 2004
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