TWO men who had taken a cocktail of drink and drugs, grabbed a shopkeeper round the neck before escaping with a handful of cigarettes and a few cans of beer.

Tate, aged 29, Tamar Grove, Leigh, and Grugel, aged 20, of Chadwell Grove, Leigh, pleaded guilty to robbery when they appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and were each sentenced to two and a half years in jail. The court heard the pair were regulars at the Easysave shop on Wigan Road, Leigh.

They had engaged in banter with the shopkeeper and a woman but their behaviour deteriorated and they were asked to leave. But they went back and demanded CCTV tapes before barging into the office and grabbing the shopkeeper Kishore Ladue round the neck with Grugel wielding a craft type knife.

Tate took the CCTV film and both men left the shop. After they had gone it was discovered that £40 cash had been taken, along with 10 packets of cigarettes and eight cans of beer.

The men were arrested shortly after.