TWO masked raiders who held up an Ipswich convenience store with a baseball bat today remain at large after a judge ordered the acquittal of a 24-year-old charged with the offence.

TWO masked raiders who held up an Ipswich convenience store with a baseball bat today remain at large after a judge ordered the acquittal of a 24-year-old charged with the offence.

The case against Marcus Ranger, who denied attempted burglary, collapsed in Ipswich Crown Court due to lack of evidence.

Recorder John Foy, QC, ordered the jury to acquit Mr Ranger, an assembler at Ransome's Europark.

Police arrested Mr Ranger when part of his girlfriend's car license plate matched one used as a getaway car in a raid on the Estate Stores in Bramford Lane last February.

Officers discovered two hooded sweatshirts, a pick axe handle and a black and white bandanna, similar to one worn in the raid, when they searched Mr Ranger's London Road flat.

Recorder John Foy, QC, said: "There is no evidence that the car parked outside the defendant's flat was the one used in the robbery.

"The suspicion may have increased because there was a black and white bandanna, pick axe handle and hooded sweatshirt found in his flat but these are all common items."

The court heard how shop assistant Heidi Finnaman gave chase to two armed raiders after raising the alarm at 8.50pm on February 11.

She called to a passer-by to make a note of the registration number of the blue Metro the pair made off in which she later noted on the till receipt.

Defender, Lindsay Cox, told the court the number noted by Heidi Finnaman did not correspond closely enough to Mr Ranger's girlfriend's car.