Terrified staff threatened with machete and hammer by robbers who stole cash from McColl's convenience store in Leeds

One worker was asked 'do you want to die today?' and was told he was going to be slashed during the raid at the shop on Pennington Street, Woodhouse.

Michael Bennett and Rakeem Njie were locked up for a total of more than eight years over the incident which took place on July 20 this year.

Louise Gallagher, prosecuting, said two members of staff and two customers were inside the shop when the pair bust in armed with weapons at 9pm.

A shop assistant was serving a couple at the till when the robbers entered wearing balaclavas.

The robbers went behind the counter and Njie threatened the worker with the machete.

Njie, 20, shouted at the victim: "Do you want to die today? I'm going to slash this guy right now."

Bennett banged on the till with the hammer and made demands for it to be opened.

Ms Gallagher said: "They were both shouting at him.

"The situation was chaotic."

Leeds Crown Court heard the worker was unable to open the till as he was panicking.

Once inside they made threats and demands for the safe to be opened.

The robbers managed to get £160 in cash and took packets of rolling tobacco.

The two customers cowered in a corner of the shop during the incident.

Njie and Bennett smashed a CCTV monitor and shelves before leaving the premises.

They were seen a short time later by police officers as they came out of a wooded area on Meanwood Road.

One of the men was carrying a yellow Morrisons bag for life which he dropped and they ran off.

They were chased and caught by the officers.

The Morrisons bag was recovered and found to contain cash and tobacco.

The wooded area was searched and balaclavas were recovered.

Bennet, 45, of Lincombe Drive, Roundhay, pleaded guilty to robbery.

Bennett has previous convictions and has served prison sentences for robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Njie has no previous convictions.

Mark Foley, for Njie, said his client pleaded guilty at an early stage. Mr Foley said Njie was someone that could easily be influenced by others.

Shila Whitehead, for Bennett, said the defendant accepted he would be facing a lengthy prison sentence because of his criminal record.

Bennett was jailed for five years, four months. Njie was sentence to three years and four months in a young offender institution.