AN armed thug from East Renfrewshire who was thwarted by a teenage have-a-go-hero when she tried to rob a shop at knifepoint has been jailed for two years.

Catherine Anderson, 47, grabbed the 16-year-old girl and waved a breadknife at her as she lunged over and tried to get money from the till.

The teenager’s 17-year-old sister responded to her cry for help but Anderson turned on her and held the knife at her face.

They struggled and Anderson dropped the weapon before dragging the 17-year-old girl outside by the hair and knocking her to the ground.

The terrifying incident came to an end when the quick-thinking 16-year-old smacked Anderson on the head with a pole and her sister ran back into the shop.

Dramatic CCTV footage of the incident was played at Glasgow Sheriff Court, where Anderson admitted assaulting the 16-year-old girl and attempting to rob her of cash at a shop in the city’s southside, as well as assaulting the 17-year-old to her injury.

The offences took place on August 8 last year.

On Monday, Sheriff Daniel Scullion jailed Anderson for two years, reduced from 32 months because she had admitted her guilt.

The court previously heard how, at around 6pm on the night in question, the sisters were working in the newsagents, with the 16-year-old at the till and the 17-year-old in the stockroom, when tooled-up Anderson went in.

Procurator fiscal depute Lucy Adams said: “Anderson approached the till counter and leaned over the counter and grabbed the 16-year-old by the clothing and brandished a large breadknife at her.

“Anderson repeatedly shouted ‘give me money’. She held the knife out in front of her and leaned out towards the teenager. The girl was extremely frightened and screamed for her sister and managed to repeatedly press the panic alarm behind the till which directly notifies the police of an incident.”

The court was told that, when Anderson dragged the older girl outside, the 16-year-old grabbed a pole used to pull down the shop’s shutters and hit the would-be robber on the head with it.

After examining CCTV footage from the shop, police traced mum-of-three Anderson to an address in Thornliebank.

She was taken to hospital for stitches to her head and then transported to a police station.

The court heard the girls haven’t returned to the shop since the incident and have suffered nightmares and flashbacks.

Defence lawyer Jim Roberton said Anderson had been desperate for money.

He added: “It’s more by accident than design there was no serious injury caused to these young women.”