Two men who carried out street robberies in Great Yarmouth threatening their victims with a knife have each been jailed for four years.

Russell Hamilton, 30 and Andrew Grimmer, 48, robbed the first victim as he was walking home from work along Crown Road.

Kevin Eastwick, prosecuting at Norwich Crown Court, said that Grimmer beckoned the victim over and then grabbed him by the collar and held something to his neck.

He was asked to hand over money and cigarettes and saw that Hamilton was holding a small knife. However he managed to push Grimmer away and run off and phone police.

Moments later the pair struck again but this time their victim was a 64 year-old man.

Mr Eastwick said that he was also threatened with a knife and asked to hand over cash. When the victim said he did not have any money he was punched and kicked and his watch worth �20 was ripped from his wrist.

The victim suffered bruising and a small cut.

Police soon arrived on the scene and Grimmer and Hamilton were arrested and the watch was recovered.

Hamilton and Grimmer, both of Crown Road, Great Yarmouth admitted robbery and attempted robbery on November 9 last year. Hamilton also admitted possession of a kitchen knife.

Both men were jailed for four years but Hamilton was given an extended four year licence period on his release from prison because of his previous conviction for robberies in Southend, in 2009.

Sentencing them Judge Nicholas Coleman said: 'These were street robberies which took place at night and both involved the use of a weapon.'

Ian James for Hamilton said that the knife was just shown to the victims and not used.

'Financial gain was the motivation.'

He said that Hamilton had just been released from custody and was living in a bedsit.

'This was a spur of the moment event.'

Andrew Thompson, for Grimmer said it was '10 to 15 minutes of madness.'

He said that Grimmer had not committed a serious offence like this before.