A judge has warned armed robbers they will go to prison for holding up cash-in-transit workers who provide a "vital service to the public''.
Judge David McFarland was speaking as he jailed Michael McMullan for a year for his secondary role in a robbery in north Belfast.
McMullan (32), of Claremont Court in Belfast, pleaded guilty to a single charge of "encouraging or assisting'' the robbery of a cash box belonging to Risk Management Solutions (RMS).
Prosecutor Kate McKay told Belfast Crown Court that RMS staff were filling up an ATM at a Co-op store on the Oldpark Road when a "technical problem'' arose and they money had to be removed and taken to a waiting armoured van.
While one RMS worker was heading back to the Co-Op store, he was approached by a man who had has face covered and was carrying a black 9mm handgun.
He told the security guard "Give me the box'' and then placed the gun on the man's right hand.
The box was handed over but was empty.
The robber ran to a waiting stolen silver Skoda Fabia car but its getaway from the car park was blocked by another vehicle.
"The driver and passenger of the Skoda ran off in the direction of Cliftondene Park and onto a waiting 'back up' Volvo car,'' Mrs McKay said.
Both vehicles were quickly recovered by police and McMullan's DNA and fingerprints were found in the Volvo.
An imitation Beretta firearm was also found at the home of a co-accused who has since died and McMullan's passport was discovered at the same address.
The court heard that he had 48 previous convictions including one for robbery in 2008 for which he received 30 months in prison.
The judge was told that McMullan had a long history of heroin abuse and admitted spending up to £50 per week on the drug along with taking Tramadol and Lyrica.
Defence counsel Eilish McDermott urged the court to either defer his sentence to allow him to continue with a rehabilitation programme or impose a probation order with conditions attached.
However, Judge McFarland said that although the offence "was unsophisticated and amateurish'', the custody threshold had been met and offences of armed robbery are "serious matters''.
He said he accepted prison would pose the father-of-one problems with his methadone substitution programme but imposed a four year sentence, with one year in custody and three years on supervised licence.
