A BUNGLING teenage raider has been jailed for three years after launching a robbery on his local store where staff recognised his voice.

The boy, who was 16 at the time of the offence, wore a mask as he threatened staff at the One Stop Shop, Colne Road, Duke Bar, Burnley, with a 12-inch machete.

But he was arrested shortly after the raid on March 21 after staff recognised his voice.

The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed along with a 19-year-old accomplice mother-of-two Leah George, of Princess Street, Nelson.

She was jailed for two years after holding the door open for him as he fled.

Burnley Crown Court heard that the bow, now 17, had borrowed clothing in an attempt to avoid forensic detection and was wearing a ski mask.

He claimed he committed the crime because he was in debt and had had a gun held to his head.

But he got away with only £17 worth of cigarettes from One Stop and not the cash he needed.

The victims had at first thought it was a joke as the youth demanded money from the till, but soon realised he was deadly serious, the court heard.

Passing sentence, Recorder Anthony Cross, QC, said the pair had planned the "very grave" offence, significant thought had gone into it and it was a team effort. The machete was a terrifying weapon on anybody's view, he said.

The judge said the offence was committed at night, the two shopkeepers were vulnerable and although the 17-year-old had got away with cigarettes he had been trying to get as much cash from the till as he could.

Recorder Cross added the 17 year old did not use force but there was a high degree of threat.

The defendant had got a conviction for possessing a knife when he was 11 or 12, had been given a supervision order and that should have been a warning.

He was given a two years extended licence, after a judge ruled he was a danger to the public.

Both had earlier admitted robbery.

Recorder Cross told the court the youth posed a significant risk of causing serious harm to the public and the offence had shown an "escalating pattern of behaviour."

The judge said George, who had a bad record for violence and dishonesty, must have known full well what her co-defendant was intending to do and how terrifying it was to be for the intended victims.

Following the case, Det Con Sheralyn Fenton, who led the investigation, said: "People who worked there recognised his voice because he had been in the shop so many time before, even though he was wearing a mask.

"This has been a good result from a very swift investigation.

"We would like to thank the members of the public who assisted us with our inquiries."