Jex concealed the sex toy in a carrier bag, pretending it was a gun

Nicki Jex, 27, of Braunstone, Leicester, hid the sex toy in a carrier bag pretending it was a gun, Leicester Crown Court heard.

The manager at Ladbrokes in Narborough Road handed over more than £600 in cash when he pointed it at her on 27 December 2006, the court heard.

On Monday, Jex, who pleaded guilty to robbery, was jailed for five years.

Sentencing him, Judge Philip Head said: "It's right to record that you did not have a firearm but you pretended you had and intended that those you confronted believed that you did, and it must have been truly terrifying for them at the time."

The robbery was captured by CCTV inside the shop.

'Considerable courage'

As Jex left with more than £613 in till contents and other money, he was followed outside by the shop's last remaining customer Wayne Vakani the court heard.

"The defendant pointed the vibrator in the bag at Mr Vakani and warned him to back off," said Tim Palmer, prosecuting.

"Mr Vakani then kept a discreet distance but kept an eye on the defendant and watched where he went."

The court heard that it was thanks to this customer that the defendant's hat, worn during the robbery and containing his DNA, was discovered nearby.

Initially Jex denied any involvement but later changed his plea.

He was a drug addict with a string of previous convictions dating back to February 2002, the court heard.

In mitigation, Phil Gibbs, defending, said Jex, a qualified chef and engineer, had a "fragile" state of mind.

He told the court: "One can be thankful that the item he had wasn't a firearm.

"Frankly, he didn't care less what happened to him at that time. He was falling into the abyss and that's the root cause of drugs."

Mr Vakani was awarded £500 by Judge Head for his "very considerable courage".