THIS is the moment an armed robber pulled off his disguise and surrendered, claiming the heist was a hoax to post on YouTube.

Carl Tanner has been jailed for 20 months after spectacularly unmasking himself and giving his name to the terrified shop assistants he tried to rob.

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Preston Crown Court heard Tanner, 23, lay in wait outside the Atlantic Store in Blackburn until he thought shop assistant Elisa Hughes was alone in the store.

As Miss Hughes mopped the floor, Tanner walked into the Mosley Street store with his hood up and a scarf covering his face, and pointed a large kitchen knife at Miss Hughes – telling her: “Give me the money.”

The prosecution said as Miss Tanner froze in terror, her co-worker Yasmin Fawcer emerged from a stock room and went to press the panic button behind the counter.

But on seeing the second shop assistant, Tanner said: “Oh no!” and pulled off his disguise – holding his hands up in surrender.

Miss Fawcer asked him: “Are you joking?”

To which Tanner told her he was filming the raid to post on YouTube, the court was told.

He then flicked the blade of the knife to show it was plastic, and gave his name to the women before fleeing the store empty handed.

The court heard Tanner, of no fixed address, was at ‘a low ebb’ on February 9 at the time of the attempted robbery.

He claimed to have a camera in his lapel and when he was arrested, told officers: “It was just a joke, like what you see on YouTube.

“As soon as I did it I gave them my name.”

He said he had a friend filming from across the road but when it was pointed out that their view would be obscured by the shop door and they would not capture the staff’s reaction, Tanner admitted he had been trying to rob the store.

He pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and said he feels bad and should not have done it.

Judge Andrew Woolman, sentencing, told Tanner: “You were sitting outside this shop, keeping an eye on things.

“You went into the shop intending to get money from the shopkeeper and brought with you a plastic knife.

“You swung it at both women and asked them for the money repeatedly.

“You hadn’t thought it through carefully and you soon gave up.

“When you gave up, you gave up spectacularly, giving your name and telling them it was all a joke.”