54-year-old Brynley Stephens, from Gendros, carried out the attack at a property on Maesglas Road, forcing his victim to hand over his wallet, car keys and mobile phone.
During the incident, Stephens pressed a knife to the victim’s neck, which left the victim with an injury.
Swansea Crown Court heard that Stephens has 21 previous convictions for 95 offences including manslaughter, multiple assaults, making threats to kill, aggravated burglary and weapons offences.
During a sentencing hearing, Judge Geraint Walters told Stephens: “You have had the capacity to kill in the past. It does not seem to have diminished”.
Judge Walters said that Stephens had “a propensity towards committing acts of violence” and posed a substantail risk to the public.
Stephens was handed an extended sentence of eight years in prison as a dangerous offender, comprising five years in prison followed by an extended three-year licence period. The parole board will be required to determine if Stephens is safe to be released after serving two-thirds of the custodial portion of his sentence.
Stephens was also given a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim.
Detective Sergeant Richard Jones from South Wales Police said: “Brynley Stephens carried out this senseless attack with no warning. The victim could have been any member of the public, making him an incredibly dangerous man.
“He has received a significant sentence for committing this robbery, which is due to his appalling previous record and character.
“It is reassuring to know that a person like him will now be behind bars for a significant amount of time, and will be unable to enact any further crimes against unsuspecting victims.”
