TWO men who between them tried to rob a store owner at knifepoint and subjected his assistant to a terrifying two-hour ordeal have been jailed.

Thomas David Goodall, 25, covered his head and face with a scarf and hood and pulled a ten-inch knife on the owner of Clifton Mini Market and demanded money on January 14.

While a shop assistant was not an eye witness to the attempted robbery she had seen Goodall hanging around the shop on another occasion and gave a witness statement against him, Peter Sabiston told York Crown Court.

On February 20, while Goodall was in prison on remand, his friend Jordan Barry Douglas, 22, of Cornlands Road, Acomb, waited in his car for her to leave the shop at the end of the day.

He followed her as she drove home, tailgating her and evading her efforts to shake him off. When she did manage to get home, he hung around outside her house talking on a mobile phone.

But the store owner, concerned for her safety, also drove to her home. Douglas fled after intimidating her in total for "a couple of hours" said Mr Sabiston.

Judge Robert Bartfield told Douglas: "It must have been a terrifying incident for her. I am not sure whether you know or even care about the impact that has had upon her."

Mr Sabiston said the assistant had been so scared, she had given up her job and a mother and daughter Douglas went on to burgle at night now feel insecure in their own home.

Both Goodall and Douglas were on bail at the time for allegedly robbing another man in a friend's house on January 10, the court heard.

The victim in that case did not attend trial to give evidence against them and the prosecution accepted pleas by both men to the lesser offence of theft instead.

Goodall, of no fixed address, denied attempted robbery and carrying an offensive weapon, but was convicted at a trial. He was jailed for four years.

Douglas denied witness intimidation but was convicted at a trial. He admitted burglary, two thefts of Sat Navs from cars and theft of a car outside the burgled house, and driving whilst disqualified and without insurance.

He was jailed for three years and banned from driving for 12 months.

The judge said when Goodall demanded money, the store owner at first thought he was joking. Once it was clear Goodall was serious, the store owner reached for a big stick he had behind the counter, and "whacked" him on the head. Goodall fled empty-handed. He had a previous conviction for robbing a man who was kicked in the head as he lay on the ground.

Barristers for both men said they had gone straight for some time before their crimes.

Ben Campbell for Douglas said a relationship breakdown had led to him "spiralling back into offending" and Sara Dodd for Goodall said being made redundant had led to him "descending into ...... the madness again."