Robbery victim Sam Kuhl feared for his life when a knifeman grabbed him at a cashpoint and stole his money.

But he had a double shock when the bank at first refused to refund a penny of his loss.

The 26-year-old off-licence assistant was threatened at knifepoint when he punched in his pin number at a Barclays Bank cashpoint in Brighton.

Mr Kuhl, who was grabbed from behind and threatened three times, said: "He pointed the knife at my chest and said he was going to kill me. I thought 'this is it' and if I made the wrong move he would have done it."

Mr Kuhl never touched the cash and it was the thief who pressed the withdrawal buttons and grabbed the money before fleeing.

He had £150 from his £160 balance taken, but claimed he received an "uncaring" response when he contacted the bank.

Mr Kuhl, who lives in Hove, said if a cashier had been forced to hand over cash inside the branch then the bank would have suffered the loss.

He was expecting to have to burden the loss himself until we contacted Barclays' headquarters, in London.

After looking into the case, a spokeswoman said: "We regret Mr Kuhl was unhappy with the response he received and we apologise.

"We take these matters very seriously and do everything we can to help customers in such circumstances. We will be recrediting Mr Kuhl's account with the full amount."

Police, meanwhile, are still hunting the robber who struck outside the Preston Circus branch at 10pm on New Year's Eve.

The robber, who used a 6in filleting knife, is about 5ft 8in tall and was described as stocky, of rough appearance and wearing dark clothing.

Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information should contact Brighton CID on 0845 6070999.