A violent criminal 'shamed Norwich' by robbing a Danish visitor who had come to Norwich to take part in a football tournament, a judge said.

Aaron Hewson, 29, followed the victim into the toilets of Bar 11, in Tombland, and threatened him into handing over £80 to £100 from his wallet, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Jude Durr, prosecuting, said the victim thought Hewson might have a knife, although no weapon was produced, and was frightened into giving Hewson all his cash.

He said the victim alerted police and Hewson was quickly identified from CCTV partly through his distinctive tattoos and was caught as he was trying to get into a nightclub on Prince of Wales Road.

However the court heard he then refused to comply with police and injured a female police officer, hurting her thumb and injured a male officer as he tried to detain him, causing a graze on his elbow.

Hewson, of Draper Way, Norwich, admitted the robbery on May 11 and also assaulting two police officers and was jailed for 38 months.

The court heard that Hewson had a number of previous convictions including a conviction for robbery.

Sentencing him, Judge Maureen Bacon told him: 'You shamed yourself and you shamed this city.'

She said the victim was a visitor from the EU taking part in a long-standing football tournament involving his work colleagues and told him: 'You have marred that by the commission of this robbery.'

Judge Bacon said that he had targeted the victim, following him to the toilets, where he knew he would be vulnerable.

She said he had taken cocaine and alcohol that night and rather than complying with police when they tried to arrest him he had behaved in an 'even more spectacularly violent' way,

Damien Moore, for Hewson, said at the time of the offence his life had been spiralling out of control as he had just split form his long-term partner.

He said Hewson had started binge drinking and had been out drinking the night of the robbery.

'He did not go out with a plan to rob anyone.'

He said 'It was a one-off episode caused by his drinking far too much.'

He added: 'He is sorry for his actions that night. He feels sorry for the victim.'