Kieran David Hodson left empty-handed after trying to hold up the Filey Road post office in Scarborough while wearing a mask and brandishing a hammer, North Yorkshire Police said.

Officers said the 24-year-old hit the security screens with the hammer and then threw a bag at a member of staff, demanding they fill it with cash, during the incident in March.

But a force spokesman said the employee refused to comply and told Hodson to “f*** off”.

Kieran David Hodson was jailed for two years

The spokesman said a panic alarm alerted police and Hodson, of Scarborough, was later arrested following a public appeal for information.

He pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and was jailed for two years at York Crown Court on Friday (June 4), the spokesman confirmed.

Dc Nick Burton said: “For reasons best known only to him, Hodson thought holding up a post office was a good idea. Obviously it wasn’t, especially due to the fact he had to leave empty-handed after a brave employee told him where to go.

“While we never advise victims of crime to do anything that would put them in even more danger, it’s clear that this blunt and robust response prevented cash being stolen during the incident.

“Hodson’s prison sentence comes just a few weeks after he committed his crime and takes yet another violent offender off North Yorkshire’s streets.”

Would-be post office robber jailed after being given short shrift by staff member