A ROBBER who attacked a shopkeeper will remain behind bars at least three years.

Adrian Hughes burst in to Varsity News, Park End Street, in Oxford, in May and attacked 69-year-old John Seath.

Hughes, 29, of Oxmoor Close in Cutteslowe, punched Mr Seath in the face then stole about £70 from the till and jumped in to a taxi at Oxford Rail Station.

He was tracked down after the taxi driver told police exactly where he had dropped him off.

Hughes was given an indeterminate sentence at Oxford Crown Court, meaning he must serve at least three years before being considered for release.

Mr Seath was making a cup of tea in a rear office when Hughes robbed him. He shoved the pensioner against shelving, then punched him in the face before rifling through his pockets.

Hughes, who was on licence for a six-year sentence for seven similar robberies, then grabbed cash from the till and fled. Police arrested Hughes less than an hour later in Friars Wharf, with a knife which he had not used in the crime.

Hughes was found guilty of robbery following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.