Two men who robbed a female security guard in a pub car park cash snatch have been given jail sentences totalling nearly 10 years.

Timay Denton, 24, of Pauline Street, Ipswich, and Dean Constantinou, 25, of Southwark, stole £2,337 during the robbery at The Thrasher in Nacton Road on February 6.

A G4S security guard had collected the pub takings and was walking back to her van with the cash box at around 10.45am when a man wearing a motorcycle helmet approached her and demanded the box.

The robber pushed the guard, took the box and managed to get the money before discarding the box as he ran off towards a waiting motorbike ridden by an accomplice.

The pair had ridden off at speed going around the roundabout near Ravenswood and along Nacton Road in the direction of the town centre.

When CCTV was checked by police it had captured the motorcycle being filled up before the robbery at the Texaco petrol station less than 200 metres from The Thrasher. After the snatch, CCTV caught the motorbike turning into Maryon Road from Nacton Road.

Police found the motorbike at an address in Darter Close with its exhaust still warm.

Two men, a woman and a three-year-old child were inside along with a large hostile dog.

After a stand-off of around 15 minutes, officers entered the property and arrested Denton and Constantinou.

A firearm and ammunition were found inside, along with four 9oz bars of cannabis resin in a kitchen unit.

Denton said the gun, ammunition and cannabis were his and for his personal use.

Denton and Constantinou both admitted robbery and Denton also pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing expanding ammunition, possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate and possessing cannabis resin with intent to supply.

Constantinou also admitted dangerous driving and driving while disqualified on January 24, in West End Road, Ranelagh Road and London Road, Ipswich.

Denton, who asked for 13 offences to be considered, was jailed for five years and ten months and Constantinou was jailed for a total of 46 months and banned from driving for three years.

Ian Persaud, for Denton and Constantinou, said the robbery had not been planned.

He said Denton had been leading a disorganised life and hadn’t had the best start in life.

Mr Persaud said Constantinou’s girlfriend was pregnant and he wouldn’t have committed the robbery if he had known she was going to have his baby.