A TEENAGER who terrified a shopkeeper in a masked raid, before making his getaway in a stolen car, had his sentence cut at London's Criminal Appeal Court yesterday.

The 17-year-old, from Bishop Auckland, County Dur-ham, and an accomplice, both armed with heavy sticks, left the shop and made off in a stolen Vauxhall Nova, which was later found written off.

The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a two-year detention and training order at Durham Crown Court last June, after pleading guilty to robbery and vehicle taking.

But Lord Justice Kennedy, sitting at London's Criminal Appeal Court, cut the sentence to 18 months yesterday, saying he was taking into account time the youth had spent on remand.

He dismissed claims that the sentencing judge should have given him more credit for his guilty plea.

The judge told the court how the youth, with a friend, stole the car from a factory car park on April 6 last year.

Later the same day, they raided the shop wielding "stout sticks" and wearing masks, driving the assistant and a customer into a back room before stealing £210 from the till. The car was found later crashed into a farm gate.

The youth was arrested four days later, on April 10.