A hoodie-wearing gunman and one of his accomplices have been jailed by a judge after two terrifying raids on shops.

Bradford drug addict Shehzad Basharat, 28, pointed a realistic-looking air pistol at the face of staff member Katie Sigston during the first raid at the Simply Drinks off-licence on New Side Road, Horsforth.

And the following night he again used the weapon to threaten another female worker in McColls convenience store on King George Road, Horsforth.

Basharat, of Lower Rushton Road, Thornbury, was yesterday jailed for eight-and-a-half years at Bradford Crown Court after he admitted charges of conspiracy to rob and possessing a firearm at the time of the two robberies.

His co-accused Gurmukh Singh, 37, of Currer Street, Little Germany, Bradford, was sentenced to ten years in jail by Judge Geoffrey Marson QC after he was found guilty of similar offences following a trial.

A third man, Shane Harrison, 34, of Broadway, Horsforth, has also admitted being involved in the two robberies, but his sentence was adjourned to a later date.

The men netted only £380 from the two raids in February, but Judge Marson said the terrifying experience suffered by the women would live with them for many years.

"In February of this year you two, together with Harrison, conspired to commit robberies of vulnerable premises at night where the staff were women and it was to be robberies using a gun, albeit not loaded,'' said Judge Marson.

'They were determined. They was an element of pre-planning and an element of disguise. The terror which you must have caused those women to suffer cannot adequately be set out in words.'' Judge Marson said the robberies had been committed to get money to buy drugs and he warned the men that if they did not rid themselves of their addiction they could spend the rest of their lives in prison.

The men had used a hired Lexus car during the first raid on Simply Drinks, but prosecutor Sean Morris revealed that they were actually stopped by police in the same vehicle the next day.

He said the men and the car were searched, but nothing was found.

The Lexus was seized by police, but hours later the three conspirators took a taxi to the vicinity of McColls and Basharat again went in brandishing the handgun.

After fleeing the scene of that robbery the taxi driver took the trio back to Bradford where Singh purchased some drugs before they went to his flat.

The next day police raided his flat in Currer Street and found the handgun, distinctive items of clothing and a scarf which had been used as part of a disguise.

Basharat's barrister Richard Mansell conceded that the robberies had been terrifying for the staff involved, but he said there was no evidence to suggest the gun was loaded.

He said his client had a long-standing heroin addiction and it was his desperation for drugs which led to him commit the offences.

Mr Mansell said Basharat should receive credit for his guilty pleas which had spared the women the ordeal of having to give evidence in court.

Singh, who asked for five further offences involving the theft of satellite navigation systems from cars to be taken into consideration, was also said to have had a heroin addiction for a number of years.

His barrister Stephen Couch said he still maintained that he had not been involved in the two robberies.