A WOMAN begged to be allowed to keep her house keys and glasses as she was robbed at knifepoint in Christchurch, a court has heard.

The victim, who is in her 20s, was approached by thug Samuel Tye as she walked past Waitrose in Bargates towards the A35 bypass at 10.25pm on Friday, September 6.

Tye, 31, pulled out a knife with a three-inch blade and told the victim to hand over her bag. He allowed her to keep both her keys and her glasses after her pleas.

However, he then took the bag from her and made off towards Waitrose.

The victim called police and described Tye's appearance. Officers rushed to the scene and launched a huge search.

Around five minutes after the robbery, police found Tye in the High Street. As they approached him, he was seen to put something in a post box.

When police searched the defendant, they found a knife in his sock. The victim's bank cards were found in the post box, while her bag was discovered dumped at the trolley station in Waitrose.

Last week, Tye, who is of no fixed abode, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court to be sentenced after admitting robbery and possession of a bladed article. He was sentenced to three years and four month in prison.

Detective Constable Chris Waters, of Eastern CID, said: “This was a very frightening experience for the victim and I am glad, that thanks to a swift response from officers, within minutes we were able to quickly identify and arrest the man responsible for this offence as well as recover the victim’s property.”