A man has been jailed after he conned a woman into giving a him a lift before holding a knife to her throat and robbing her.
Craig Parkinson, 35, approached the woman on High Street in Rochdale claiming he needed a lift because he was being followed by a gang of men.
The unsuspecting victim drove him to Peel Street where he asked her to pull over, police said.
He then grabbed her handbag from the back of the car.
The woman tried to grab it back before Parkinson, from Dukinfield, pulled out a large knife and held it to her throat.
He fled the vehicle with the bag and used the woman's bank card to make multiple purchases, including for alcohol and bunches of flowers.
Three day after the incident - which happened at around 2pm on Sunday, September 6 - local officers arrested Parkinson.
He was charged and pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a bladed article and three counts of fraud by false representation.
Yesterday (Monday, November 16), Parkinson, of Newton Terrace, Dukinfield, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison at Manchester Crown Court
Inspector Andrew Fern of GMP's Rochdale District said: "We can't understate the impact this offence has had on the woman.
"Her life was turned upside down by Parkinson's vicious and selfish acts of criminality.
"Our thoughts are with her and we hope that this sentence will help offer some measure of closure now that Parkinson is behind bars.
"I would like to take the opportunity to thank the team of officers from the Rochdale Neighbourhood Task Force who quickly and effectively brought Parkinson to justice and continue to make Rochdale a safer place to live."
