A ROBBER who sprayed CS gas in a shopkeeper's face while his friend laughed has been jailed for three years and four months.

Atif Khan was left coughing and with blurred vision after Craig Stanton pulled the cannister out of his pocket and squirted it at him at the SA Convenience store in Little Lever.

He and Naomi Roberts then stole two bottles of cider from the shop and fled.

Stanton was caught after his fingerprints were found on an IOU note he had left at the shop earlier in the day.

Lindsay Thomas, prosecuting, told how Mr Khan was working in the Booth Road shop at 3pm on September 22 last year when Stanton and Roberts, both aged 25, walked in and picked up a bottle of cider each.

Roberts walked out of the shop with her bottle and when Stanton's visa card was refused Mr Khan took the second bottle off him.

Stanton wrote out an IOU for Roberts' drink and left, returning later to pay for it.

But the court was shown CCTV of when the pair returned to the shop at 7.30pm.

They selected another two bottles of cider and went to the counter. But as Roberts held the bottles Stanton squirted a CS gas cannister twice at Mr Khan.

"The spray hit him in the face, caused him to cough and affected his vision," said Mrs Thomas.

"Miss Roberts found it very funny and both walked outside without paying."

After arrest, Roberts told police she was an alcoholic and that day she had drunk nine litres of cider in less than three hours.

Nicola Gatto, defending Stanton, of Haynes Street, Bolton, said the spray had been left at the defendant's home and he had had it in his pocket to return to the owner.

Roberts pleaded guilty to shoplifting and Stanton admitted robbery and possessing an illegal firearm.

He also pleaded guilty to committing offences on October 19 when he became angry after being refused admission to a house party at Glenfield Square, Bolton.

These included criminal damage, attempted theft of a car, possessing a lock knife, possessing steroids and breaching a suspended prison sentence.

Mrs Thomas told how Stanton threw a brick at the house door and was seen holding a knife.

Police were called and found him sitting in a Vauxhall Corsa in neighbouring Georgina Street.

He was drunk and had broken into the vehicle, attempting to start it with the knife.

Miss Gatto said Stanton had a problem with alcohol and, at the time of the offences, had been badly affected by relationship problems with his girlfriend.

Mark Friend, defending Roberts, said she is now tackling her problems and has not had a drink for some time.

Sentencing the pair, Recorder Craig Osborne told them their crime "has elements of stupidity and amateurishness. I suspect it was all too real for the victim."

Stanton was jailed while Roberts, of Woodfield Street, Bolton, was sentenced to a four month 9pm to 9am curfew and ordered to take part in behaviour management sessions.

"Your demeanour as you went out [of the shop] didn't seem in any way apologetic.

"You are very fortunate the Crown Prosecution Service accepted your plea," Recorder Osborne told her.