A Port Talbot man, convicted of robbery, has been sentenced to two years in prison following a Swansea Crown Court appearance on Friday.
Thomas was identified by locals from CCTV captured during the robbery
Daniel Allan Thomas, from Sandfields, broke into the Morrison Road store in November and made off with thousands of pounds in cash and cigarettes.
CCTV images posted on the South Wales Police Swansea and Neath Port Talbot Facebook page helped identify the 29-year-old.
Officers investigating the burglary then discovered that Thomas, who initially denied that the person in the CCTV pictures was him, had tried to buy a second-hand Renault Clio and offered the owner £1,000 – all in loose change which he had stolen from the post office.
The seller of the car, however, refused to accept the coins and contacted police after reading about the burglary.
Port Talbot Local Policing Inspector Tim Hopkins said: “Thomas was arrested and has now been sent to prison thanks to the support of the local community.
“The information provided by local people resulted in him being identified from the CCTV pictures and the work of my officers proved that it was him involved in the burglary as he tried to buy a car using the money he had stolen.”
Daniel Allan Thomas had tried to buy a car using £1,000 in loose change
Thomas appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Friday where he was sentenced to two years in prison.