Two robbers who waylaid a cyclist at knifepoint on a dark towpath have been locked up.

Andrew Hacking and Steven Simpkins lurked by the Leeds-Liverpool Canal in Shipley and pounced on Kenneth Stewart as he cycled home from Bradford.

They robbed him of his expensive bike and Hacking demanded cash at knifepoint, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Hacking, 29, of Valley Road, Shipley Fields, Shipley, was jailed for three and a half years and Simpkins, 30, of Frizley Gardens, Frizinghall, Bradford, for two years.

Hacking was convicted by a jury last month of robbery and attempted robbery and Simpkins of robbery.

Prosecutor Simon Myers said the robbers had spent the afternoon last February drinking in Shipley.

Hacking stuck out his arm to knock Mr Stewart off his bike and then drew a knife. Simpkins punched him and fled with his bike.

Hacking then demanded money from Mr Stewart who said he did not have any and Hacking ran off.

Mr Stewart, shaken and distressed, was driven round Shipley by police to spot his attackers and he saw them at a bus stop.

Sophie Drake, Hacking’s barrister, said he suffered from depression and anxiety.

Gerald Hendon said Simpkins had had a responsible job and the robbery was totally out of character.

Judge Peter Benson told them: “This was a serious robbery involving the production of a weapon that was used to threaten the victim.”

After the case, Detective Inspector Ryan Bragg, of Airedale and North Bradford CID, said: “This was a nasty offence in which a member of the public, who was innocently going about his business, was stopped and threatened with a knife by the offenders.

“The sentences they have received will ensure both are off our streets for the foreseeable future and will send out a message that the courts will not tolerate this type of offence.”