A MAN being sought by police as part of two long-running robbery investigations was arrested on his return to the North-East after four years on the run in Spain.

Terence David Finnigan, who fled Britain after twice in one week raiding a balti-house, returned to the region with his Spanish girlfriend after she gave birth to their first child last year.

Durham Crown Court heard he was arrested after falling for a 'sting' operation when summoned to a JobCentre, supposedly to collect back benefit, on January 21.

Finnigan, 23, was brought before the court within days and was remanded in custody.

The court heard he was accused of knifepoint robberies of a cashier at The Green Balti House, in Southwick, Sunderland, on December 7 and 14, in 2000.

He denied both charges and the case was listed for a trial, scheduled to start yesterday.

But when Finnigan appeared in court yesterday, he changed his plea to guilty to the second charge.

Alex Burns, prosecuting, said that given the absence of a witness to the first alleged incident, who is in Bangladesh, the prosecution would proceed on only the second robbery charge.

Mr Burns said Finnigan, who warned staff not to call police, grabbed around £500 from the till, but as he was leaving an assistant grappled with him, causing him to drop many of the notes.

He was arrested as takeaway staff knew him, as 'Terry'. When interviewed he claimed he was "collecting a debt".

But after appearing in court in February 2001, he subsequently failed to appear when the case was next listed that May and a warrant was issued.

Mr Burns said it emerged that Finnigan had fled to Spain, where his sister was living, but shortly afterwards she was jailed for 12 years for drugs offences.

Robin Denny, mitigating, said Finnigan remained in Spain to support his sister and formed a relationship with his partner, who he intends to marry. Mr Denny said he works for his girlfriend's mother in a bar, and has learned the language.

Jailing Finnigan, formerly of Brickgarth, Easington Lane, near Sunderland, for two years, Recorder John Muir said he was able to reduce the sentence as he has remained trouble-free and started a new life in recent years.