A 25 year old man has been sentenced to five years in prison following offences which saw two businesses in Llandudno held up and parts of the town being cordoned off earlier this year.

Matthew Ward, has today been sentenced after pleading guilty of Robbery, Attempted Robbery and Carrying a bladed article in a public place.

These offences relate to Ward equipping himself with a knife, entering Llandudno town centre on 17th February this year, and carrying out two consecutive knife point robberies at local business premises in the town.

Ward fled the scene and police enquiries recovered cctv footage, clothing worn during the offences, the knife used and stolen cash.

Investigating Officer DC Jordan Livingstone said: "Matthew Ward embarked on a spree of violence during daylight hours in a town centre, prompting a considerable police response, only two months after he had been released from prison for a previous conviction for robbery.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of Ward’s family for their assistance in us being able to locate him so quickly.

"Incidents like this are relatively rare in north Wales and I would like to reassure the community that we will continue to prioritise public safety in all of our neighbourhoods.

"I welcome today’s sentence, which underlines the message that those who endanger the safety of others will be held accountable, and I hope this in some way mitigates the impact Ward’s actions had upon his victims."