A detective has praised the courage of staff at a Workington pharmacy after a judge jailed a knife-wielding robber who targeted their shop to feed his addiction to pain killer drugs.

Carl Michael McGlasson, 34, walked into the town's Moorclose outlet, in Westfield Drive, with his face hidden on the morning of June 4.

He went behind the counter, produced a knife and demanded the pharmacy's entire stock of pain relief medication oxycodone, before filling a bag and fleeing.

Carlisle Crown Court heard how brave pharmacist Andrew Cameron intervened during the incident, taking hold of the six-inch blade to disarm the robber before alerting police.

McGlasson's robbery profoundly affected one employee, and had "massive repercussions" for prescription-seeking patients after the store was closed in the aftermath.

McGlasson initially protested his innocence to police.

However, he was sentenced today having admitted charges of robbery, having a bladed article in public and going equipped for theft with a face-covering, knife and hammer.

These latter two offences related to an incident on April 9 - committed elsewhere in Workington - as disguised McGlasson carried out what Judge James Adkin called a "dry run" for the June crime.

Father-of-three McGlasson, of no fixed abode, was said to be remorseful. At the time, he was in the grip of an opiate addiction at the time.

As he jailed him for four years and three months, Judge Adkin said the robbery would have terrified anyone caught up in it.

After the case, Detective Constable Michael Gale welcomed the sentence - and praised the courage of McGlasson's victims.

He said: “I am pleased that McGlasson has been brought before the courts to answer for his actions. "This was a horrifying ordeal that the staff at this local friendly pharmacy had to endure and had a huge impact on the tight-knit community of Moorclose.

“I would like to praise the bravery of the staff at the pharmacy who witnessed the incident. They stated that it was one of the most frightening events of their lives.

“I'd like to thank everybody for their efforts in bringing McGlasson to justice and hope that the sentence passed has given some closure to staff of the pharmacy and the local community.”