Masked raiders haul host from his bed

A host was woken by two masked men and threatened with a knife during an early-morning robbery in Manchester.

The two raiders got into the Bandstand pub on Hyde Road, Gorston, at around 2am on Thursday last week and entered the bedroom where the licensee was sleeping.

They stood over him and shouted for him to get up, before dragging him downstairs to the safe. The pair threatened the host with a knife and he opened the safe.

The robbers then fled through a side door with what police describe as a "large quantity" of cash.

One of the attackers is 6ft, and was wearing a ski mask and dark tracksuit. The other was 5ft 9in to 5ft 10in tall, and was wearing a balaclava. Both are of medium build.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Longsight CID on 0161 856 4240.

Life for motorbike rider in armed robbery

A gun-wielding motorcyclist, who robbed a woman who had just collected takings from a pub gaming machine, has been jailed for life.

Christopher Joseph, 30, also assaulted and robbed the licensee of another pub after she collected £400 from a bank, Birmingham Crown Court heard last week.

Timothy Sapwell, prosecuting, said the takings collector was confronted by Joseph when she was at the rear of her car, having just removed money from a machine at a pub in Frankley.

Joseph, who was wearing a balaclava and carrying a handgun, grabbed a laptop computer from her and ran off, then returned on a motorbike, this time stealing a cash box containing £2,000 from her car boot.

The court heard that Joseph and his 19-year-old half-sister Rebecca Lynch, who accompanied him on his bike, also robbed a licensee after she had collected £400 from a bank in Sparkhill. Lynch punched the host and kneeled on her chest. The duo were caught after a high-speed chase that lasted half an hour.

Joseph of Devon Road, Frankley, admitted two charges of robbery, theft, possessing a firmarm, dangerous driving and possessing a Class-A drug. The court was told that he also had a previous conviction for robbery involving firearms when he was jailed for eight years in 1998.

Lynch, also of Devon Road, admitted robbery and theft and was sent to a young offenders' institution for two and a half years.

Sting operation targets doorstaff

Three licensed venues in Yeovil, Somerset, were caught during a recent sting operation using doorstaff who could not prove they were properly licensed.

Council workers and police checked town-centre venues on Friday 22 October to see if doorstaff had documentation that proved they had passed the new Security Industry Authority (SIA) exam for door supervisors. At three outlets doorstaff could not prove they had applied for a licence or owned an SIA badge.

The deadline for doorstaff in the region to be licensed is 23 November ­ although they must be able to prove they have taken steps to get licensed.

Sgt Jackie Gold said: "It's disappointing to see that some doorstaff are either ignoring the new rules or simply do not understand what is required. We appreciate there are some delays with the process of applications for the SIA. However licensees and door supervisors have been given plenty of notice of the changes."

Customer's ankle broken in attack

A barman dragged a customer out of a pub in a fit of rage ­ after the punter tweaked his nipple.

Barman Martin Hardy and customer Michael Finnie were laughing and talking over the bar at the Pestle & Mortar in Grimsby, Hull Crown Court heard last week.

But violence erupted after Finnie leaned over the counter, grabbed the barman's chest and yanked on his nipple ring.

Hardy dragged Finnie outside and pushed him over, causing the customer's ankle to break.

Hardy, 40, of Henry Street, Grimsby, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm in the attack on 1 November 2003.

Hardy, who had three previous convictions for assault, was told he would probably be jailed if he attacked again. He was told to pay £500 costs and do 120 hours community service.