A property letting agent helped to rob two sex workers of "every last penny" in a terrifying armed raid.

Pedro Lima was said to be acting as "hired muscle" when the women were confronted at a brothel in Ramsgate.

The 35-year-old and his two accomplices – masked and brandishing what appeared to be guns – barked threats while holding a weapon against the head of one of their frightened victims.

Their belongings were then ransacked before the violent intruders fled with a haul containing everything from bundles of £20 notes to medicine.

A selfie taken by Lima was later found by police showing all three men – one wielding a gun – with their loot laid out on a bed.

At the time of his arrest, Lima was said to be "desperate for cash" and living in his car following a breakdown in his marriage.

Inside the vehicle, police found a knife and two air pistols.

He later pleaded guilty to two offences of robbery, one of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, two of possessing an air weapon in a public place and one of possessing a knife.

At his sentencing hearing on Friday, prosecutor Liam Gregory told Canterbury Crown Court the two sex workers had been deliberately targeted while working at the brothel operating from a house in Abbots Hill on November 24 last year.

"The defendant contacted them shortly before the robberies took place. Messages were exchanged, the address of the brothel was provided and he attended with two others," he explained.

"After entry was gained, imitation firearms were produced and used to threaten the two victims, with a number of high-value items taken.

"These included £1,800 in cash, two iPhones, watches, an iPad, an identity card, a passport, jewellery, a wireless keyboard and bags.

"A picture taken by the defendant shortly after the robbery demonstrates the haul obtained, and anything of any value seems to have been taken, down to pennies and medicine.

"It was above and beyond targeted theft. It's the taking of anything they possibly can."

The court was told Lima, of Scottwell Drive, Edgware, north London, disputed that he played a leading role in the enterprise.

His barrister, James Burke, said the "athletically-built" dad was not the one making threats at gunpoint but one of his accomplices who was owed a debt.

"Mr Lima was asked to go along for £250. He is athletically built and was taken along as a bit of muscle or back-up in case there was any security in place, given the nature of the business the two victims were in," said Mr Burke.

"He became involved in this joint venture at a time when he was desperate for cash, living in a car, and the marriage to the mother of his now four-year-old daughter had broken down."

At this point Lima, who has no previous convictions, could be heard crying over the prison video link.

His lawyer continued: "The court is sentencing a man who made an error of judgement, a man who accepts responsibility for that, has proper and appropriate victim empathy and is remorseful."

However, on jailing Lima for seven-and-a-half years, Judge Simon James said it was "difficult to reconcile" any assertion of remorse with the selfie photo Lima took shortly after what would have been "a truly terrifying experience" for his victims.

"You and two other unidentified men, masked and armed with realistic-looking imitation firearms, broke into a brothel and robbed two young women," he told the crook.

"They were deliberately targeted because they were involved in the sex industry.

"One had a gun placed against her head and both were threatened with violence unless they gave up their cash, jewellery and identity documents.

"It is obvious even without victim personal statements that the impact of this prolonged incident would have been profound."

Judge James added it made no difference to sentence as to which of the three raiders had played the leading role.

He told Lima: "This was a serious and obviously pre-planned armed robbery. It was a joint enterprise where each of the three of you were acting together as a team to deliberately target and threaten vulnerable victims."