A DRUG addict who robbed £40,000 of jewellery from a high street shop has been jailed for almost three and a half years.

Daniel Casson, aged 37, was living rough when he leapt over the counter of Little Jems jewellery shop in Penzance's Market Jew Street in August last year.

Prosecutor Philip Lee recounted the events of August 14 during Casson's sentencing in Truro Crown Court this morning.

Mr Lee explained how Casson entered the shop and leapt over the counter before pushing the shop assistant out of the way.

The terrified shop owner and her assistant, who has since had to stop work after 36 years in retail, fled the shop while Casson helped himself to the haul.

He was later spotted on the town's CCTV running down Market Jew Street to get on a bus, as well as being identified on the shop's security cameras.

Mr Lee said that the shop staff were "afraid and nervous" as a result of his actions and had been "very badly affected".

The shop owner had also been left out of pocket to the tune of £9,500 following the insurance claim. The assistant, who had since given up work, had sustained grazes and bruising when Casson pushed her out of the way.

Defending, Deni Matthews said that Casson, who has previous convictions for robbery, has shown "proper evidence of genuine, rather than self-pitying remorse", after helping police to recover some of the stolen jewellery.

He had been homeless at the time after Social Services had ordered him to move out of the family home due to his ongoing drug habit.

A month after the robbery he had made an attempt to take his own life and had subsequently been placed in psychiatric care.

Casson, who pleaded guilty to robbery, also admitted the theft of a camping mat from Millets in Penzance on the same day.

In sentencing him, Judge Robert Linford said Casson's actions had resulted in the shop assistant being "terrified out of her wits and out of her work".

His jail term is for 40 months.