TWO Grimsby armed robbers were locked up for a total of 14 years after a daylight raid on a jewellers' shop in Louth.
Christopher London, 25, of Watford Avenue and Damion Clark, 30, of Littlecoates Road were confronted by members of the public outside Eastgate Jewellers in the raid on June 24.
Two passers-by guarded the door while another kicked over the getaway bike, parked outside the shop, the court heard.
As one of the robbers, fled he stabbed an elderly motorist because he would not give him his car to escape.
The other robber sought sanctuary in a school playground leading to a "lock down" of the school to protect the 400 pupils and staff.
Both men were armed with claw hammers and one had a kitchen knife when they were disturbed by the female owner of the jewellery store as they tried to smash their way in to the store's glass display cabinets.
Terrified owner, Julie Smith, was working in a back office when the raiders, wearing motorcycle helmets burst in.
She was pushed down some steps and forced to let the robbers leave after pressing an alarm which initially locked them in the front of the store.
However, by the time the two robbers emerged a crowd had gathered outside the store in the centre of Louth.
Jon Straw, prosecuting, said the two robbers were left "high and dry" after the keys were removed from a high-powered motorcycle which they were planning to make their getaway on.
He said: "This is a very remarkable example of people power."
"While they were inside trying to effect the robbery of the shop the people of the town banded together and the motorbike they intended to use for their escape was pushed over by a passerby and the keys taken.
"They were left high and dry and had to flee on foot."
Mr Straw said the two robbers split up and Clark fled to the nearby Queen Street car park where retired motorist, Eric Chapman, refused to had over his car keys despite being stabbed in the eyebrow.
"Clark went to the car door. Mr Chapman was sitting in it. He refused to get out despite suffering an injury from the knife to his eyebrow," Mr Straw added.
Other members of the public including a retired police officer helped detain Clark as he ran up Aswell Street. The knife and a number of jewellery boxes were found nearby.
London fled up Aswell Street to the nearby Kidgate Primary Academy where he dumped his yellow motorcycle helmet after being confronted by deputy headteacher, Paul Lidbury.
The court heard London and Clark were serial criminals.
Clark, who had previously served jailed sentences for wounding and arson, admitted the robbery which occurred on 24 June and unlawfully wounding Mr Chapman.
He also asked for a crime spree of 17 other offences to be taken in to consideration, which included a dozen burglaries.
Sentencing Clark, of Littlecoates, Grimsby, to an extended sentence of nine and half years Judge Sean Morris said that he regarded him as "dangerous."
Clark was sentenced to six years imprisonment with three and half years extended licence.
London, of Watford Avenue, Grimsby, who pleaded guilty to the robbery and also asked for 12 other offences to be taken in to consideration, was jailed for four years.
Judge Morris told them both: "When you forced that lady to open the door the good citizens of Lincolnshire had disabled your getaway vehicle, your motorbike, so you had to make a run for it.
"You were chased by those people and what you did, Clarke, was then stab a man in the head. He was an elderly gentleman sitting in his car.
"You opened the door and tried to drag him off, but he was made of stern stuff and did not budge."
