TWO men from Nelson have been convicted of robbery.

Judge Norman Wright warned Craig Harry Johnston, 20, and Duaine Kyle Smith, 21, that a prison sentence was inevitable' after they were found guilty of robbing Jamie Lindgard of £50 and a gold chain in Railway Street, Nelson, in the early hours of Christmas Eve 2006.

Burnley Crown Court heard that Mr Lindgard had been out drinking at The Bull pub, in nearby Scotland Road, with childhood friend Johnston and two other young men.

Prosecutor Hilary Manley said that Johnston, the two other men and Mr Lindgard had left the pub and gone for a takeaway meal. Mr Lindgard withdrew £50 from a cash machine and the trio started walking along Railway Street.

Suddenly a hoodie-wearing thug - later identified as Duaine Smith - confronted Mr Lindgard and began punching him in the face.

The victim fell to the floor and was set upon by all four men, including Johnston. He heard a voice demand the £50 he had taken out of the cash machine.

The court heard that, fearing further violence, he handed over the cash and the four men walked away. Mr Lindgard later realised a gold chain had been snatched from his neck during the attack.

Arrested and interviewed by police, Johnston insisted he had not been involved in any set-up' of Mr Lindgard, who he had known since the pair were 10 or 11.

But Smith would later confess to police that he had received a phone call from Johnston, while he was at the pub, asking him to sort out' a man who had been causing trouble for them.

Johnston, of Larch Street, and Smith, of Railway Street, both Nelson, denied robbery but were convicted after a three-day trial.

They were bailed until February 13 for pre-sentence reports.