TWO women watched in terror as a hammer-wielding burglar raided The Regal pub in Gloucester, a court has heard.
Steven Haase was jailed for 16 months after being caught red-handed breaking into the pub.
He had travelled 160 miles to the city from Northumberland to commit the crime.
On Friday, Gloucester Crown Court heard, he smashed his way through a window of the pub using a hammer at 4.45am on December 17.
But the 45-year-old managed to pick a night when a stock-check was taking place.
He was heard by two terrified female members of staff who called police.
They watched on CCTV as he attacked seven of the gambling machines, stealing £2,920 cash.
Prosecutor Julian Kesner said: "It was a planned burglary deliberately committed in the middle of the night on the assumption that there would be no one in the pub. But the assumption he was were working on was wrong.
"Unbeknownst to him, a stock-check was taking place that night and two female members of staff heard the defendant as he broke in.
"They heard a bang and went into the CCTV room and watched him on the screen.
"One has described how shocked and scared she was and said she was petrified he would come into the office they were in."
Police arrived and caught him with the cash before he could escape.
Haase, from Cramlington, pleaded guilty to the burglary at the JD Wetherspoon pub in St Aldate Street.
The court heard he had 27 previous convictions and sentencing him Judge William Hart said: "It's depressing you have reverted to your old ways."
He jailed him for 16 months.
The Regal manager James Llewellyn said: "We are happy with the sentence and glad we could work closely with the police and get this result.
"Thanks go to them as it was their swift action that caught him."
He said of the two members of staff: "They were shaken up at the time but they are fine now and were back to work the next day."
