THESE four men brought terror to the streets of Bolton during a series of armed raids.

During a six-week crime spree, the gang took part in 28 robberies across Greater Manchester.

And on three occasions they struck in Bolton.

Armed with guns, knives, hammers and iron bars, the robbers - Laine Williams, Paul Dunn, Reece Ming and Errol Junior Reynolds - targeted jewellers, convenience stores and homes. In Bolton, they struck at a jewellery shop in Great Lever and mini-markets in Daubhill and Little Lever.

A judge yesterday sentenced them to a total of at least 21 years behind bars - but warned three of them they will stay in prison until they are declared safe to be released. Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, told them: "You instilled unimaginable fear into the victims from which many may take a considerable time to recover in full, if indeed they recover at all."

The men, known as the Gooch Close Gang, first struck in Bolton on September 29, 2005, when they targeted Mumtaz jewellers in Crescent Road, Great Lever.

Wearing masks and carrying hammers, they burst into the shop and smashed display cabinets before grabbing owner Chifhty Mumtaz.

Mr Mumtaz and his son, Qaisar, fought back, hitting the gang with a plastic mallet as they continued to ransack the shop.

The gang fled with jewellery worth £10,000.

They had already carried out three robberies in Greater Manchester, using guns to threaten staff at a petrol station, a Netto supermarket and a convenience store.

After the robbery at Mumtaz jewellers, they held up two other jewellers and a betting shop in Rusholme.

Then on the evening of October 17, 2005, they returned to Bolton to rob two shops.

They burst in to the Co-op store in St Helens Road, Daubhill, at 7.15pm, leaping on the counter and shouting "Don't move" to staff before smashing open the tills with a hammer.

They then frogmarched a terrified cashier to the shop's safe and stole thousands of pounds while forcing workers to kneel on the floor.

Just 30 minutes later, the gang smashed open tills at a Somerfield store in Market Street, Little Lever.

They were captured on CCTV in both robberies.

Detectives began to link the robberies when descriptions of similar clothing and weapons were given to police at crime scenes Reynolds, of Triscombe Way, Hulme, is already serving a 21-year life sentence for the murder of Ramone Cumberbatch in Hulme in 2005.

He was yesterday given an indeterminate sentence after he admitted playing a part in four of the robberies.

Williams, aged 22, of Westerling Way, Moss Side, admitted two robberies, one attempted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.

He was given an indeterminate sentence, and told he can apply for parole in five years.

This sentence is to run alongside the nine-year sentence he received in 2006 for the attempted murder of a 29-year-old man in Moss Side.

Ming, aged 18, of City Road, Hulme, was given an indeterminate sentence with a minimum of five years after pleading guilty to three robberies and three counts of possession of a firearm.

Dunn, aged 18, of Quemby Street, Hulme, was sentenced to eight years behind bars after pleading guilty to five robberies and possession of an imitation firearm.

Dunn and Ming will both serve their sentence at a young offenders institute.

Supt John O'Hare, who led the investigation, said: "This was a particularly violent series of armed robberies.

"The escalation in the levels of violence in the robberies was extremely concerning and we are pleased this group has now been caught."