CCTV captures the moment an armed robber threatens worker and robs a vape store in Wrexham

CCTV shows the moment a man armed with a bat robbed a vape store in Wrexham.

Mervyn Hardy burst into the shop and threatened the startled worker, before emptying the till and fleeing with cash.

The 41-year-old, of Pen Y Bryn in Wrexham, carried out the robbery at Chameleon Vapes, just off Borras Park Road, back in March.

After he was jailed, footage has been shared by the Crown Prosecution Service showing the terrifying incident.

In the footage, Hardy can be seen wearing a red jacket as he enters the shop. He pulls out a weapon, described as a short wooden "baseball bat" during earlier court hearings.

He proceeds to make his way around to the till, startling the lone female shop assistant who he has open up the till with the press of a button. As he helps himself to the bank notes in the till drawer, the woman appears to reach under the counter on the opposite side of Hardy and activate a silent alarm.

After collecting the money, Hardy it into his pockets and bolted out of the store. The robbery was reported to the police and he was soon found and arrested.

After refusing to leave his prison cell, where he has been held since being found guilty after a trial, Hardy was sentenced on September 1 in his absence to four and a half years behind bars.

The sentence also included an order made by the overseeing judge at Mold Crown Court, His Honour Niclas Parry, for the cash to be forfeited and the weapon be destroyed.