VIolent robbers who stole nearly £25,000 in three raids, and were planning several more, have been jailed for seven years.

Sean White, 26, admitted two charges of robbery and 22-year-old Samuel Jackson pleaded guilty to three charges. Oxford Crown Court heard yesterday that the pair from Blackbird Leys, along with a third man who was not identified, carried out a series of robberies ending in June last year.

The pair also admitted planning to raid Post Offices in Watlington, Wolvercote, Woodstock, Headington, Kidlington and Ambrosden.

In March last year, they stole £10,000 from Great Milton Post Office.

Nigel Daly, prosecuting, said the "violent robbery", during which owner Patrick Donnelly -- a cancer sufferer -- was knocked to the floor, had left the victims "frightened to death".

They were caught after a stolen Ford Fiesta was found nearby containing a bala- clava and gloves they wore during the raid. DNA tests linked the items to the men.

Mr Daly told the court that four days later they attacked 40-year-old Nasreddine Morsli, a steward at Cowley Community Centre, as he walked to a bank. They stole £3,740.

Jackson, of Falcon Close, also admitted robbing staff from Going Places travel agents in Cowley's Templars Square Shopping Centre in July 2001. He stole £9,200 in cash and cheques totalling £2,000.

Mr Daly said White, of Comfrey Road, was the ringleader of a gang he recruited to carry out the raids.

Judge Bruce McIntyre sentenced both men to seven years' imprisonment for each offence, to run concurrently. He also ordered them to remain on licence until May 2013 after their release.

The court heard Jackson had previous convictions for robbery, drug possession, handling stolen goods, aggravated vehicle taking and dishonesty. White has previous convictions for robbery, theft, handling stolen property and interfering with cars

They were not prosecuted for planning the other robberies but they were taken into consideration in the sentence.