A CONVICTED shop robber is starting a six-year prison sentence for mugging a man and carying out a high-value house burglary.

Norman Davies and an accomplice raided the house in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, while the occupant and his son were asleep in the early hours of January 15.

A Mercedes Benz, worth £3,000, and a £3,000 Citroen van, containing £2,000-worth of tools, were taken along with a television, games console and other electrical items.

Less than a fortnight later, Davies was with two other people when a reveller was attacked close to Stockton town centre and had his money stolen.

Teesside Crown Court heard the victim was pulled by the neck to the ground by one of his assailants who yelled: "Give me all your money or I will kill you."

Davies, 33, and Lee Thompson, 31, had scarves over their faces and hoods on, and were at the scene with a woman who had the charges against her dropped.

The men, both of Hartington Road, Stockton, admitted the January 27 robbery, and were told by Judge Tony Briggs: "It was obviously a dreadful experience."

Thompson was jailed for 18 months after the judge told him: "It seems unlikely you were the primemover, but you did nothing to stop it and took part."

Davies - jailed for four years for holding up a shop in 2002 - got four years for the robbery and a further two years for the burglary, which he also admitted.

The court heard that the householder was awoken by an intruder at 2.30am and went to the landing to investigate.

Davies was linked to the crime after an accomplice was detained when he tried to sell some of the stolen goods at a computer shop.

His barrister, Nigel Soppitt, told Judge Briggs: "He says he thought the house looked unoccupied.

"It is of little comfort to the householder, of course."

Robin Denny, mitigating for Thompson, added: "He is full of remorse and has a great deal of understanding of what it would have been like for the victim."