A FATHER-of-two who threatened to “blow the cashier’s head off” in a robbery has been jailed for five years after grassing himself into police.

Jordan McLaughlin, 23, of Ranelagh Avenue, Ravenscliffe, went into the Coral bookmakers in Harrogate Road, Greengates, at around 7pm on March 12.

The cashier was sat playing on a fruit machine when McLaughlin walked in with his hood up, before pulling a handgun out of his trousers and pointing it at the cashier from five metres away and demanded money.

Prosecutor Peter Adams told Bradford Crown Court: “McLaughlin told the man, ‘You have ten seconds to get it or I will blow your head off’.”

After getting some notes from the till, McLaughlin told the man to open the safe, but it would have taken ten minutes to fully open for security reasons.

Mr Adams said: “He made off with around £50 in total, and told the man he would shoot him if he called the police.”

The victim thought the gun was real, but it turned out to be fake.

Mr Adams continued: “This is a serious and unusual case. McLaughlin made an anonymous call to police in April and named himself as responsible.

“He said he had felt suicidal and hoped armed police would shoot him dead. Police attended and he was arrested after a short footchase.

“He denied the offence, but after being told about the phone call he admitted the offence. He said he did it because he had a substantial drug debt.

“This was a harrowing robbery and left the man feeling ‘scared, horrible and in shock’.”

In mitigation, John Batchelor said McLaughlin accepted full responsibility for the offence.

He said he had been working but lost the job when he had to care for his partner after the birth of their second child.

He was drug free at the time, but had drug debts, and Mr Batchelor said he suffered from “fragile mental health”.

In sentencing, the Record of Bradford Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said: “You have a serious problem with drugs and incurred a debt to frightening serious and organised criminals.

“You resorted to extreme and consequential actions, targeting a vulnerable member of staff and a large sum of money.

“You ordered him to open the safe at gunpoint and left him shocked and terrified.

“If you do this kind of thing again, you could well be facing life imprisonment.”

McLaughlin admitted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent.